The New Yorker covers: February 2, 1929

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.

Sue Williams
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Samuel Johnson

If we estimate dignity by immediate usefulness, agriculture is undoubtedly the first and noblest science.

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

"The Sower," 1888, Vincent van Gogh

Movie Posters, 1942: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: August 2

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.

8.2.1974: The San Francisco Chronicle drops Doonesbury, but only for one day, thanks to 2,000 phone calls from irate readers.

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.

The New Yorker covers: September 14, 2020

Merriam-Webster defines a garden as “a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are cultivated,” but the dictionary’s definitions also include this: “a container (such as a window box) planted with usually a variety of small plants.” Houseplants and cut flowers may not meet either definition, but I think they come close.

Edward Steed
"Ovegrown"

And now, a few words from . . . Svetlana Alliluyeva

You have only one friend in the world, yourself.

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

"Woman Lying on a Bench," 1913, Carl Larsson

Movie Posters, 1968: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!