The Monday Tilley Watch takes a glancing look at the art and artists of the latest issue of The New Yorker
The Cartoonists and Cartoons
Fifteen cartoonists, fifteen cartoons. No newbies, and no duos, that we know of. The longest active contributing cartoonist in the issue is Roz Chast, whose first New Yorker drawing appeared in the issue of July 3, 1978.
This week’s cartoons (in a slideshow)
It’s nice to see Roland High’s Man Escapes Haunted House break out from the now standardized rectangular slot for cartoons. A reminder of how the magazine’s drawings once roamed across the pages, and so entertainingly dominated the graphic landscape. It would be more than wonderful to see them roam again on a regular basis.
The Cartoon Caption Contest (Lars Kenseth contributes this week’s drawing for the contest)
The Rea Irvin Talk Watch:
Waaaaay back in the Spring of 2017, the above Rea Irvin long-running Talk design (it ran for 92 years) disappeared, only to be replaced by — and I still can’t believe I’m saying this: a redrawn version by a contemporary illustrator. The Spill continues to keep its fingers crossed that Mr. Irvin’s work returns. Read more here.
Rea Irvin’s A-Z Entry:
Rea Irvin Born, San Francisco, 1881; died in the Virgin Islands,1972. Irvin was the cover artist for the New Yorker’s first issue, February 21, 1925. He was the magazine’s first art and only art supervisor (some refer to him as its first art editor) holding the position from 1925 until 1939 when James Geraghty assumed the title of art editor. Irvin then became art director and remained in that position until William Shawn officially succeeded Harold Ross in early 1952. Irvin’s last original work for the magazine was the magazine’s cover of July 12, 1958. The February 21, 1925 Eustace Tilley cover had been reproduced every year on the magazine’s anniversary until 1994, when R. Crumb’s Tilley-inspired cover appeared. Tilley has since reappeared, with other artists substituting from time-to-time. Number of New Yorker covers (not including the repeat appearances of the first cover every anniversary up to 1991): 179. Number of cartoons contributed: 261.