And The Award For (Possibly) Most UnThurberlike Book Cover Goes To…

The 1974 Czechia edition of Thurber’s The 13 Clocks.

Originally published in the US in 1950 by Simon & Schuster, and illustrated by Marc Simont:

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James Thurber’s A-Z Entry:

James Thurber Born, Columbus, Ohio, December 8, 1894. Died 1961, New York City. New Yorker work: 1927 -1961, with several pieces run posthumously. According to the New Yorker’s legendary editor, William Shawn, “In the early days, a small company of writers, artists, and editors — E.B. White, James Thurber, Peter Arno, and Katharine White among them — did more to make the magazine what it is than can be measured.”

Key cartoon collection: The Seal in the Bedroom and Other Predicaments (Harper & Bros., 1932). Key anthology (writings & drawings): The Thurber Carnival (Harper & Row, 1945). There have been a number of Thurber biographies. Burton Bernstein’s Thurber (Dodd, Mead, 1975) and Harrison Kinney’s James Thurber: His Life and Times (Henry Holt & Co., 1995) are essential. Website

The New Yorker’s 1st Basketball Cartoon and 1st Basketball Cover

With basketball fever gripping Gotham City, I thought it was time to take stock of New Yorker basketball 1sts (cartoon and cover). According to the magazine’s database, the very first New Yorker basketball cartoon appeared in the issue of December 23, 1933. The artist: Robert Day.

Robt. Day’s A-Z Entry:

Robert Day (photo from This Week anthology, 1954) Born, 1900, San Bernardino, California. Died, February, 1985, Gravette, Arkansas. New Yorker work: 1931 -1976. Collection: All Out For the Sack Race! (Random House, 1945).

And according to the database, the first basketball themed cover appeared March 10, 1951. Cover artist: the great Abe Birnbaum:

Abe Birnbaum’s A-Z Entry:

Abe Birnbaum Born, New York City, 1899. Died June 19, 1966, New York City. New Yorker work: 1929 -1974. Mr. Birnbaum began at the New Yorker as a cartoonist, contributing a handful before switching to cover work, of which he produced 141. He also provided spot drawings and illustrations. According to Mr. Birnbaum’s New York Times obit, his work was exhibited at The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Carnegie Institute.

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MAD‘s Addams & Peter Arno Parodies

Thanks to a Facebook post by the EC Fan-Addict Club, this 1955 MAD Magazine parody of Charles Addams famous Family came to my attention. When I sought out the entire magazine online (MAD No.26 1955), I found this great site that allows us to see every page of back issues. What I found, when paging through, was a Peter Arno parody sitting right next to the Addams parody. Both drawings were executed by MAD artist, Will Elder.

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Exhibit (In Spain!) Of Interest: Andrea Arroyo and Felipe Galindo

An exhibit of work by this married duo. Andrea Arroyo first contributed to The New Yorker in 1992; Felipe Galindo began contributing to The New Yorker in 2002.

Andrea Arroyo’s website.

Felipe Galindo’s website.

–photos courtesy of Ms. Arroyo and Mr. Galindo

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A New York Times story published online today (“David Sedaris Has Two Apartments For His Two Picassos”) features a number of photos of the writer David Sedaris’s Manhattan home(s). In the last photo, Mr. Sedaris sits in front of a framed Charles Addams drawing hovering over his shoulder. The drawing was published in The New Yorker, August 26, 1972, It features a spouting whale in a swimming pool. A couple stands off to the side. The woman says to the man: “Thar she blows? Is that all you can say?” 

I was surprised when I saw the drawing this morning. Why surprised? Because I did a similar, (though not truly identical) drawing of a (non-spouting) whale in a swimming pool. It was published in The New Yorker August 26, 2013:

It hasn’t happened that often, but when something of mine comes graphically uncomfortably close to a previously published drawing by another cartoonist, I feel a bit sheepish about it. I console myself by thinking that, in decades of drawing thousands of cartoons (many of them involving swimming pools*, and some involving whales, including another drawing with a whale in a swimming pool**) these intersections are bound to happen. In 1972, I was in my first year of college (go Newark State!) and just beginning to pester The New Yorker‘s art editor, James Geraghty, with my earliest stabs at cartoons. It’s possible I saw the Addams swimming pool drawing that August (altho I confess I did not remember it until seeing this Sedaris article). I suppose it only took 41 years for the idea of a whale in a swimming pool to slip out of the haze of memory and into my cartoon consciousness. If that’s what happened.

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*(from The New Yorker, July 3, 2023)

** (from The New Yorker, July 8, 2019)

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

Thirteen cartoons, thirteen cartoonists. No newbies, No duos, that we know of. The longest active contributing cartoonist in the issue is Roz Chast, whose first New Yorker cartoon appeared in the issue of July 3, 1978.

This Week’s Cartoons (in a slideshow).

This Week’s Cartoon Caption Contest (Benjamin Slyngstad provides the drawing for this week’s contest)

The Rea Irvin Talk Watch

Back in May of 2017, Rea Irvin’s perfect Talk design, shown here, was displaced by — gasp! — a redrawn version executed by a contemporary illustrator. The Spill continues to hope that Mr. Irvin’s work returns. Read more here.

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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.

Another in a series of quick looks at an artist’s very first New Yorker cartoon and their last. 

Here’s one of the 80 or so New Yorker artists who had but one cartoon in the magazine. I call them “One Clubbers” in the Spill‘s A-Z; this fellow appears on every One Clubber’s entry:

Fougasse’s first and his last New Yorker cartoon appeared in the issue of March 28, 1925.

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Fougasse’s A-Z Entry:

Cyril Kenneth Bird  Born, London, December 17, 1887. Died, 1965. New Yorker work: 1 cartoon, March 28, 1925. Known professionally under the name Fougasse, Bird became art editor of Punch in 1937, and assumed the title of editor in 1949. Key book: The Good-Tempered Pencil, A Survey of Modern British and American Humorous Art (Max Reinhardt, 1956).

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More Fougasse:  here and here. A goodly number of original work here at the Chris Beetles Gallery.

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

Fifteen cartoons, fifteen cartoonists. No newbies. One duo, that we know of (the Spill counts duos as one cartoonist). The longest active cartoonist contributor in the issue is Roz Chast, whose first New Yorker cartoon appeared in the issue of July 3, 1978.

This week’s cartoons (in a slideshow).

The Cartoon Caption Contest (Hartley Lin provides the drawing for this week’s contest).

The Rea Irvin Talk Watch 

This week marks the 9th “anniversary” of Rea Irvin’s perfect Talk heading (above) disappearing from The New Yorker (only to be replaced — if you can believe it! — by a redrawn version courtesy of a contemporary illustrator). Using the word “anniversary” seems like a bad fit…here at the Spill it’s head shaking time. The abandonment of Mr. Irvin’s work continues to haunt. Read more here.

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Rea Irvin’s A-Z:

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.

Early Cover Release…Knicksmania At The New Yorker

The New Yorker has early released (online) the cover for the issue of June 22, 2026. David Remnick, the magazine’s editor, recently said he’d like to run 20 Knicks covers. Only 18 to go now. Cover artist: Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet:

The magazine has also run a half dozen Knicks-centric cartoons:

here

here

here

here

here

here

…not to mention, in non-cartoon news, the post-game live Substack wrap-ups with Mr. Remnick and two New Yorker contributors (Vinson Cunningham and Louisa Thomas), as well as this Sporting Scene piece by Mr. Remnick, this piece by Louisa Thomas, and this Daily piece.

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Now That’s A Cover!

A spectacular cover by Barney Tobey that includes a New Yorker cover within the cover(!). Mr. Tobey’s New Yorker run lasted 57 years, with 1,040 cartoons and four covers. The one above was his third. His 1983 restrospective, B. Tobey Of The New Yorker is highly recommended.

Barney Tobey (photo above from Think Small, a book of humor produced by Volkswagon) Born in New York City, July, 18, 1906, died March 27, 1989, New York. New Yorker work: 1929 -1986. Essential collection: B. Tobey of The New Yorker (Dodd Mead & Co., 1983). 4 covers; 1,040 cartoons.

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Keith Knight Guests On The Latest Cartoon Caption Contest Podcast

Keith Knight, who began contributing to The New Yorker in 2019, joins the always fun CCCP crew on Episode 254. Listen to it here. 

photo above: clockwise from the top left: Keith Knight, then co-hosts, Paul Nesja, Nicole Chrolavicius, and Beth Lawler

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Cartoon Caption Contest Podcast Celebrates Its 250 Episode

Congrats to the fine folks at the Cartoon Caption Contest Podcast on their 250th! Listen to their special episode here. 

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Paul Noth Cartoon Collection Cover Revealed

The collection by Mr. Noth, who has been contributing to The New Yorker since 2004, will be out this October.

Liza Donnelly Talks About Women Laughing Doc Screening In Inwood

Here’s another opportunity to see Women Laughing, Kathleen Hughes’ & Liza Donnelly’s short documentary film on The New Yorker‘s Women cartoonists. The film will be shown at the Inwood Film Fest this coming Saturday (full schedule here).

You can listen to Ms. Donnelly speaking about the film on the Inwood podcast, “Inwood Art Works On Air” here.  And/or…you can see her on the very same podcast here on Youtube.

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A New Yorker State Of Mind: Reading Every Issue of The New Yorker Magazine digs deep into the issue of May 16, 1936. E.B. White’s somewhat famous piece on Ford’s Model T, a Thurber reference explained, ads, and so much more!

Read it here

Cover by Leonard Dove. His Spill A-Z entry below:

Leonard Dove (self portrait, 1941; photo: 1947) Born 1906, Great Yarmouth, England. Died, Gramercy Hotel, New York City, January, 1972. New Yorker work: Dec. 17, 1927 – Jan. 18, 1964. 57 New Yorker covers; 717 New Yorker cartoons. 

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Rich Feldmann Summertime Exhibit Of Interest

Mr. Feldmann began contributing to The New Yorker in 2012.

National Cartoonists Society Announces Finalists

Photos, top row: Joe Dator, Amy Hwang, Tom Toro; middle row: Jason Chatfield, Tom Chitty; bottom row: Liniers, Garry Trudeau

A number of New Yorker contributors are finalists for this years NCS awards. Joe Dator, Amy Hwang, and Tom Toro are the finalists in the single panel group. Jason Chatfield is one of three finalists for Book Illustration. Tom Chitty is one of the three finalists in the Book and Magazine Illustration category. Liniers and Garry Trudeau are among the Newspaper Strip finalists.

The full slate of nominees for the 2026 awards, and more info on the awards themselves can be found here.

Congrats to all!

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Liza Donnelly In Conversation With Andy Borowitz Today, Live At 3 (EST). 

Andy Borowitz, of the popular Borowitz Report will be a guest on long-time New Yorker contributor (and now filmmaker) Liza Donnelly’s Substack, Seeing Things, today at 3 (EST).

Liza Donnelly’s website.

More about Andy Borowitz.

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Hilary Campbell’s Cartoon Strips

Hilary Campbell has announced the first of a new monthly show at the Greenpoint Comedy Club.This first one includes her fellow New Yorker contributor, Emily Flake.

A New Yorker State Of Mind Digs Into The Issue Of May 30, 1936

A New Yorker State Of Mind: Reading Every Issue Of The New Yorker Magazine does its usual (and quite wonderful) deep dive into a long ago issue of the magazine. This week it’s The New Yorker of May 30, 1936.

Read it here

Cover by the one-and-only Rea Irvin. His A-Z Entry:

Rea Irvin  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.

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Perlman’s Pod

Asher Perlman, who began contributing to The New Yorker in 2021, has announced he’s starting a podcast. His latest cartoon collection is Hi, It’s Me Again (Andrews McMeel).

From Mr. Perlman: