The New Yorker covers: June 15, 2026

Some of the politicians who have appeared on older covers of The New Yorker are cartoonish fabrications making campaign swings or holding news conferences. In recent years, though, real-life candidates and officeholders have made the cover, often in an unflattering light.

Barry Blitt
"Out Cold"

And now, a few words from . . . Emiliano Zapata

I'd rather die on my feet than live upon my knees.

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

"Ein Lieber Besuch" (A Dear Visit), 1894, Max Kurzweil

Movie Posters, 1944: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: August 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.

8.23.1905: Ernie Bushmiller, the creator of Nancy, is born in New York City. He was named 1976 Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society, which had previously honored him with a Newspaper Comic Strip award in 1961.

8.23.1959: Sally Brown, Charlie Brown’s younger sister, makes her first appearance in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts.

Nancy

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: "The Botanist's Assistant," Peggy Townsend

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

The New Yorker covers: September 8, 2014

The New Yorker isn’t Sports Illustrated, of course. But a fair number of sports, from basketball and baseball to golf and hockey, have graced the magazine's covers in one form or another since its founding in 1925. 

Mark Ulriksen
"Derek Jeter Bows Out"

And now, a few words from . . . Maya Angelou

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

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

Boys in a Pasture," 1874, Winslow Homer