The Monday Tilley Watch takes a glancing look at the art and artists of the latest issue of The New Yorker
The Cover: Kamala Harris
The Cartoonists and Cartoons:
Fourteen cartoons, fourteen cartoonists. No newbies. One duo, that we know of (the Spill considers duos as one cartoonist. In this week’s issue, idea writer Helene Parsons is co-credited with Kaamran Hafeez. The Spill profiled Ms. Parsons in 2016).
The longest active cartoonist contributor in the issue is Roz Chast, whose first New Yorker drawing appeared in the issue of July 3, 1978.
Of note this week: Peter Steiner revisits, single panel cartoon-wise, the scene of his iconic July 3, 1993 New Yorker drawing, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” (you can see the newer drawing by clicking on the gallery link to this week’s cartoons directly below).
The Cartoon Caption Contest Cartoonist: Chris Weyant
The Rea Irvin Talk Watch:
Seven years ago (and change), the above perfect design by the late great Rea Irvin was removed from its 92 year perch atop The Talk Of The Town and replaced by — shudder — a redrawn version by a contemporary illustrator. The Spill holds out hope that there’ll be a change of heart by whoever concocted the switcheroo. Read more here.
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): 163. Number of cartoons contributed: 261.