Tuesday, January 18, 2011

My Eustace Tilley Knock-Off

Eustace Tilley by Rea Irvin, 1925

This Eustace Tilley was drawn by Rea Irvin, the magazine’s first art editor, for the cover of the first issue of The New Yorker, in 1925, and has returned for nearly every anniversary issue since. For the past two decades, the magazine has invited contributing artists to reinterpret this iconic dandy, and in 2008, 2009, and 2010, readers have contributed to the Eustace Tilley Contest. The magazine is hosting the contest again in 2011, with a twist: This year, it’s the Eustace Tilley Book-Bag Contest. To celebrate The New Yorkers's 86th anniversary, the editors have invited readers to create a book-bag version of their iconic dandy. Twelve winners will be featured in a slide show curated by The New Yorker’s art editor, Françoise Mouly. One grand-prize winner will get his/her design printed on a Strand Bookstore tote bag and a $1,000 Strand shopping spree.

So, with great expectations and a tip of my mohawk to Steig Larsson, the late author of the Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest) I’ve uploaded my portrait of the famous New Yorker.


Eustace Tilley with a Dragon Tattoo by Leslie Moore, 2011

Click here if you’d like to see my Tilley in The New Yorker’s Gallery of Contestants, and check out the competition while you’re there!

Fingers crossed!




2 comments:

Unknown said...

I love your version! High time for a gender change for that dandy. (And glancing at the other entries, I'd say you've got 'em beat.)

Linda O'Neill said...

Hi Leslie! HA...love it! Maybe I should style my hair like that? NOT.