Background:

These original New Yorker covers are from 1936.  While The New Yorker magazine is known for the quality of its writing, many people also recognize the distinctive cover style and cartoons featured in the magazine.

This selection includes rare cover art by James Thurber (February 29, 1936) and a cover by Antonio Petruccelli (July 18, 1936) whose illustrations also appear frequently in early covers of Fortune magazine (see our selection for Fortune magazine covers from 1936 for other examples of his work).

This series of covers also includes the portrait of the fictional Regency dandy -  Eustace Tilley - which appeared on the cover of the first The New Yorker, and reappeared every year on the issue closest to the date of the original February 21, 1925 issue.  The illustration is by Rea Irvin, the New Yorker's first art director who also designed the logotype used on the cover.

The appeal of The New Yorker covers is best summarized by the following description from a book on the history of the magazine:   The covers capture "A special moment, fleetingly observed".