Rea Irvin: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox comics creatorperson

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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1881|08|26}}

| birth_place = [[San Francisco]], California, United States

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1972|05|28|1881|08|26}}

| death_place = [[Frederiksted]], [[Saint Croix]], [[U.S. Virgin Islands]]

| area occupation = Illustrator, graphic artist, cartoonist, art editor

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'''Rea Irvin''' (August 26, 1881—May1881 – May 28, 1972), was an [[United States|American]] graphic artist and cartoonist. Although never formally credited as such, he served [[de facto]] as the first art editor of ''[[The New Yorker]]''. He created the [[The New Yorker#Eustace Tilley|Eustace Tilley]] cover portrait and the ''New Yorker'' [[typeface]]. He first drew Tilley for the cover of the magazine's first issue on February 21, 1925. Tilley appeared annually on the magazine's cover every February until 1994.<ref>Dewan, Shaila K., et al. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E0D71430F936A25751C0A9679C8B63&scp=1&sq=%22Rea+Irvin%22 "PUBLIC LIVES"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 15, 2001. Accessed January 14, 2008. "Although no substantiation is offered for HENDRIK HERTZBERG'S claim on The New Yorker's new Web site that EUSTACE TILLEY, the persnickety snob created by REA IRVIN, is ''one of the most successful and recognizable corporate trademarks in the history of hype,'' Mr. Tilley does have a lengthy curriculum vitae. He appeared on The New Yorker's first cover on Feb. 21, 1925, and each February thereafter until 1994."</ref><ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/online/covers/slideshow_tilleycovers The Many Faces of Eustace Tilley] ''The New Yorker''.</ref> As one commentator has written, "a truly modern bon vivant, Irvin (1881–1972) was also a keen appreciator of the century of his birth. His high regard for both the careful artistry of the past and the gleam of the modern metropolis shines from the very first issue of the magazine ..."<ref name=autogenerated4>[http://www.printmag.com/article/everybody_loves_rea_irvin Everybody Loves Rea Irvin] ''PRINT Magazine''.</ref>

Born in [[San Francisco]], he studied at the [[Mark Hopkins Art Institute]] for six months, started his career as an unpaid cartoonist for ''[[The San Francisco Examiner]]''.<ref name=autogenerated2>[http://www.tomfolio.com/autographimg.asp?sigid=297&ret=AGIni Rea Irvin, Author Autograph Sample, Book List Link, Search Books Available] ''TomFolio.com''.</ref> ''[[The Honolulu Advertiser]]'' was among the other newspapers art departments that he served in.<ref name=TTHOET>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcj.com/the-true-history-of-eustace-tilley/|title=The True History of Eustace Tilley|accessdate=November 11, 2023|date=August 31, 2017|author=Harvey, R.C.|work=[[The Comics Journal]]}}</ref> He also contributed to the ''[[San Francisco Evening Post]]''. He also worked as an itinerant actor (for both stage and screen), newspaper illustrator, and piano player.<ref name=autogenerated4 /> In 1906 he moved to the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. In the 1910s he contributed many illustrations to both ''[[Redbook|Red Book]]'' magazine and its sister publication, ''[[Green Book (magazine)|Green Book]]''.<ref name=autogenerated2 />

Before [[World War I]], Irvin contributed illustrations regularly to ''Life'', and rose to the position of art editor. (''Life'' the humorous weekly, and not to be confused with the more famous magazine of the same name published by [[Henry Luce]]). Irvin also contributed to ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' when it was a serious literary publication. He illustrated [[Wallace Irwin|Wallace Irwin's]] "Letters of a Japanese Schoolboy" in ''Life''.<ref name=autogenerated1>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100715142527/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,739658,00.html Stripper Irvin] ''Time''.</ref> He would later incorporate [[Japan]]ese imagery in satirical [[kakemono]] for ''The New Yorker''.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

[[File:Murad cigarettes ad 1900.jpg|thumb|Ad of[[Murad (cigarette)|Murad cigarettes]] ad by Rea Irvin in 1900]]

However, Irvin had joined an advisory board to help launch ''[[The New Yorker]]'' and then worked on the staff of magazine''Thes New Yorker''staff as an illustrator and art editor. When Thehe magazine'shad first cover, oftaken athe [[dandy]] peering at a [[butterfly]] through a [[monocle]]job, wasIrvin drawnhad byassumed Irvin;that the dandymagazine replacedwould atfold the last minuteafter a drawingfew of theater curtains revealing the skyline of [[Manhattan]].issues,<ref name=autogenerated4autogenerated2 /> but Thehis gentlemanwork would ultimately appear on the original cover isof referred169 toissues as "Eustace Tilley," a character created forof ''The New Yorker'' bybetween 1925 and 1958.<ref name=autogenerated3>[[Coreyhttp://www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa398.htm FordRea Irvin of The New Yorker]].</ref>

When he had taken the job atThe magazine''Thes Newfirst Yorker''cover, Irvinof hada assumed[[dandy]] thatpeering theat magazinea would[[butterfly]] fold afterthrough a few issues[[monocle]],<ref name=autogenerated2was />drawn butby hisIrvin; workthe woulddandy appearreplaced onat 169the last minute a coversdrawing of ''Thetheater Newcurtains Yorker''revealing betweenthe 1925skyline andof 1958),[[Manhattan]].<ref name=autogenerated3>[http:autogenerated4 //www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa398.htm> The Talkgentleman ofon the Town;original Reacover Irvinis ofreferred to as "Eustace Tilley," a character created for ''The New Yorker<!--'' Botby generated title[[Corey -->Ford]</ref>]. including,Another forexample example,is the piece known as ''The Unity of the Allied Nations''., Thiswhich appeared on the cover forof the July 1, 1944 issue, and depicts the [[national personifications]] of the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] (the American Eagle, the Chinese Dragon, the [[Russian Bear]] and the British Lion).<ref name=autogenerated3 />

Six years before his death, Irvin and his wife retired to a home in [[Frederiksted]], [[Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands]].<ref>[http://www.askart.com/AskART/artists/biography.aspx?searchtype=BIO&artist=71481 Rea Irvin -– Biography Rea Irvin<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He died of a stroke there at age 90 on May 28, 1972.

* {{Gutenberg author | id=Irvin,+Rea 34107| name=Rea Irvin}}

* [http://www.printmag.com/design_articles/everybody_loves_rea_irvin/tabid/379/Default.aspx Emily Gordon, “Everybody"Everybody Loves Rea Irvin,”" ''Print'', August 2008.]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100715142527/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,739658,00.html "Stripper Irvin," Time, Monday, Jun. 23, 1930]

[[Category:American editorial cartoonists]]