It's ninety-two years ago this week that Eustace Tilley made his debut on the newsstand. As yet unnamed, Rea Irvin's cover creation must have either delighted or confounded readers who encountered this hopelessly outdated dandy superciliously regarding a butterfly through his monocle. What an unlikely mascot for Harold Ross's brand new magazine reveling in the jazz age and the Prohibition Era! And what incredible staying power he's had! Until very recent times, Eustace Tilley made a return engagement on the cover of each anniversary issue.
Rea Irvin,The New Yorker, February 21, 1925
It was fifteen years into this run that Eustace Tilley appeared onstage in a ballet entitled (not too surprisingly) "The New Yorker." George Zoritch danced the role of Tilley with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Rea Irvin himself, evidently a man of many talents, wrote the libretto in collaboration with choreographer Léonide Massine. Scenes and characters were based on the cartoons of Peter Arno, Helen E. Hokinson, Otto Soglow, William Steig, and others including James Thurber. Performed to the music of George Gershwin, it was an odd amalgam of Russian and American sensibilities. The production received poor reviews, prompting ongoing revisions. Massine elaborated the character of Peter Arno's Timid Man. The production continued through at least 1942, but was eventually dropped from the repertoire. The Museum of the City of New York retains in its permanent collection a painting by Marc Perper of Zoritch in his Eustace Tilley costume.
Marc Perper,George Zoritch, 1940
Maurice Seymour, Léonide Massine as Peter Arno's Timid Man
Note: I am sure there exist many studio photos of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo's production of "The New Yorker." In addition, the company kept videos and other notes of their productions in order to be able to restage them at future dates. I would be grateful for any production-related photos, stage designs, or recordings to add to this post. If anyone would care to access the video in the New York Public Library, I'd love to hear your assessment.
The exhibition "Roz Chast: Cartoon Memoirs" was on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge from June 6 to October 26, 2015. It is currently on view at the Museum of the City of New York through October 16. I got to see it on Thursday evening after Bob Mankoff's presentation. The museum's usual hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Roz Chast, Subway Sofa, 2016, acrylic on canvas
Roz Chast Creates the Subway Sofa
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? Photo op
Original book cover art, Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? (2014)
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? (2014)
The Wheel of Doom Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? (2014)
Doris K. Elston Brain Surgeon - Professional Model - Artist - Lawyer - plus Mother of Four Color version of a cartoon from The New Yorker, May 18, 1987 Back Cover,The New Yorker Book of Mom Cartoons, 2008
Back Cover, The New Yorker Book of Mom Cartoons, 2008
I think we can all agree that this blog could benefit a great deal from more original art by Roz Chast. If you have any to contribute here, please send me a photo or scan. Attempted Bloggery's quick links:
