The New Yorker covers: August 7, 1971

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 . . . Gustave Flaubert

The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.

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

"Zapatistas," ca. 1932, Alfredo Ramos Martinez

Movie Posters, 1937: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: July 16

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.

7.16.1890: Carl Ed, the creator of Harold Teen, is born in Moline, Illinois. His strip debuted in 1919 under the title The Love Life of Harold Teen, and survived (with a name change) until 1959.

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: November 11, 1961

Birds of almost every size and description have popped up on covers of  The New Yorker from time to time. Some of them closely, or at least loosely, resemble actual birds. Others are too whimsical and fanciful to be mistaken for anything that exists in the real world. These are not all birds of a feather, by any means.

Charles Addams
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Milan Kundera

Dogs are a link to paradise.

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

"Ad Parnassus," 1932, Paul Klee

Movie Posters, 2025: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!