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
A double issue, ringing out the old year, and ringing in the new. Fifteen cartoons, seventeen cartoonists (Liana Finck has a Sketchpad, and Barry Blitt has an illustration). One duo, that we know of: Joseph Dottino and Alex Pearson (the Spill considers duos as one cartoonist). One newbie: Harriet Burbeck, who is the 15th addition to the cartoonist colosseum this year and the 180th cartoonist brought in since Emma Allen took the cartoon editor reins in May of 2017. The longest active contributing cartoonist in the issue is this cartoonist (I began contributing in 1977).
This week’s cartoons (in a slideshow)
The Cartoon Caption Contest (this week’s drawing provided by the duo of Pia Guerra and Ian Boothby).
The Rea Irvin Talk Watch
In May of 2017, Rea Irvin’s above perfect Talk heading was rushed off the stage after 92 years of service. It was replaced by — if you can believe it! — a redrawn version by a contemporary illustrator. In 2025 that non-Irvin redraw was adapted to celebrate the magazine’s centennial. The Spill continues to hope that Mr. Irvin’s work returns. Read more.
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Rea Irvin’s A-Z Entry
Rea Irvin (pictured above. Self portrait above from Meet the Artist) 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.