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 dozen cartoons, a dozen cartoonists. No newbies, and no duos (that we know of). 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 (Lonnie Millsap provides this week’s drawing)
The Rea Irvin Talk Watch
Back in May of 2017, the above classic Talk design by Rea Irvin disappeared from The New Yorker, and was replaced by — hold on to your hat! — a redrawn version by a contemporary illustrator. Mr. Irvin’s drawing had run for 92 years.
The 2017 imitation itself has, in this New Yorker centennial year, been messed with (I’m showing it here). In any event, The Spill continues to hope Mr. Irvin’s design returns.
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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.