Monday Tilley Watch: The New Yorker’s 98th Anniversary Issue

 

The Monday Tilley Watch takes a glancing look at the art and artists of the latest issue of The New Yorker 

Ninety-eight years ago, Harold Ross’s brainchild, The New Yorker, hit the newsstands for the very first time. It was not a sensation. Disinterest from the magazine reading public caused it to nearly disappear before it was six months old. Only a lull in traffic and a leap of faith (in the form of  further funding) from the magazine’s financial backer, Raoul Fleischmann, allowed the magazine to pick itself off the floor, dust itself off, and try all over again. A number of “happy accidents” eventually secured The New Yorker’s success — among them an article that became the talk of the town; and an artist’s two naughty sisters. 

  And now…back to the now…

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The 2023 Anniversary Cover: a dog

The Cartoonists:

 

The Cartoons: Twenty-three cartoons, twenty-three cartoonists. One duo, that we know of (the Spill counts duos as one cartoonist). One newbie, Tommy Siegel, who is the 3rd new cartoonist this year, and the 130th addition to the magazine’s cartoonist stadium since Emma Allen took the cartoon editor reins in 2017. The longest active contributor in this issue is the great Edward Koren. His first New Yorker cartoon appeared in the issue of May 26, 1962. 

The Caption Contest Cartoonists: Mick Stevens, E.S. Glenn, (the duo of) Brian Hawes & Seth Roberts.

The Rea Irvin Talk Watch:

Rea Irvin’s imprint on The New Yorker remains despite modern day graphic monkey business with two of his most iconic contributions (the inaugural cover featuring Eustace Tilley, shown at the top of this post, and his Talk Of The Town design, shown directly below).