The New Yorker covers: November 5, 1960

Over the years, there have been many magazines whose covers have featured the work of highly talented artists and illustrators. But probably no magazine has had more varied and memorable covers, over a longer period of time, than The New Yorker, which was founded in 1925.

Charles E. Martin
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Yogi Berra

You better cut the pizza in four pieces because  I'm not hungry enough to eat six.

"What is art but a way of seeing?" Saul Bellow

"Tea, HSBC, Grid," 2013-15, Oscar Murillo

Movie Posters, 1947: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: June 23

American cartoonists and writers may not have invented the comic strip, but some argue that the comics, as we know them today, are an American creation. Clearly, the United States has played an outsize role in the development of this underappreciated art form.

6.23.1924: Frank Bolle is born in New York City. He was the longtime artist on Winnie Winkle and The Heart of Juliet Jones.

6.23.1934: Don Wilder is born in Middlesboro, Kentucky. Wilder wrote the syndicated comic strip, Crock, in partnership with artist Bill Rechin. The duo also created Out of Bounds, a look at professional sports.

6.23.1935: The only comic strip created by famed children’s author Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) is canceled, two years before the publication of his first book. Titled Hejji, the strip survived for a mere three months.

6.23.1969: Charles Harris Kuhn’s Grandma ends its 22-year run. The strip depicted humorous events in the life of a friendly woman known only as Grandma.
 

Most of the information listed here from one day to the next comes from two online sites -- Wikipedia, and Don Markstein's Toonopedia -- as well as 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics, edited by Maurice Horn. Note that my focus is on American newspaper comic strips (and the occasional foreign strip that gained popularity in the United States). Thus, comic books and exclusively online comics are not included here.

Review: "History Matters," David McCullough

Find exclusive book reviews, including this one, at The Walrus Said blog.

The New Yorker covers: October 14, 1950

Over the years, there have been many magazines whose covers have featured the work of highly talented artists and illustrators. But probably no magazine has had more varied and memorable covers, over a longer period of time, than The New Yorker, which was founded in 1925.

Abe Birnbaum
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Helen Mirren

At 70 years old, if I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to use the words "fuck off" much more frequently.

"What is art but a way of seeing?" Saul Bellow

"Grasgrond (Patch of Grass)," 1887, Vincent van Gogh