The Monday Tilley Watch, The New Yorker Issue Of January 29, 2024
The Monday Tilley Watch takes a glancing look at the art and artists of the latest issue of The New Yorker
The Cover: Seems like a parrot (The New Yorker calls it a chicken)
The Cartoonists And Cartoons:
Sixteen cartoons, eighteen cartoonists (Roz Chast has the cover, and Navied Mahdavian has a Sketchbook). No duos that we know of. One newbie: Stephen Raaka, who is the 2nd addition to the magazine’s stadium this year, and the 147th addition since Emma Allen was given the cartoon editor reins in 2017. The longest active cartoonist contributor in the issue is this cartoonist.
The Caption Contest Cartoonists: Dahlia Gallin Ramirez, Paul Karasik, Felipe Galindo (aka “feggo”)
The Rea Irvin Talk Watch:
Almost seven years ago already! Almost seven years since Rea Irvin’s perfect Talk Of The Town design (shown directly above) was carted away from its 92 year perch and replaced by — gasp! — a redrawn version. The Spill clings to the hope that Mr. Irvin’s design will one day return. Read more here.
Who was Rea Irvin? Perhaps this will refresh you memory:*
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): 163. Number of cartoons contributed: 261.