The New Yorker covers: October 3, 2005

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.

Chris Ware
"Hold Still"

And now, a few words from . . . P. J. O'Rourke

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

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

"Artist's Wife and Daughter," ca. 1975, Norval Morrisseau

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

Today in the history of the American comic strip: September 1

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.

9.1.1868: Kin Hubbard is born in Bellefontaine, Ohio. In 1904, he launched the Abe Martin strip, which ran until 1937.
 

9.1.1897: Jimmy Hatlo is born in East Providence, Rhode Island. He created They’ll Do It Every Time (1929-2008) and a spin-off, Little Iodine (1943-1985).

9.1.1945: Jackie Ormes, the first African-American woman cartoonist, debuts Patty-Jo ’n’ Ginger, a single-panel cartoon about the relationship between two sisters. The comic survived for 11 years.

Little Iodine

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 19, 1994

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.

Barry Blitt
"On Track"

And now, a few words from . . . Erica Jong

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.

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

"Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May," 1909, John William Waterhouse

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