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For the New Yorker's century of existence (with the exception of one 75th-anniversary edition in 2000), covers have traditionally featured illustrations rather than photographs. For the September 1–8, 2025, Culture Industries special, that rule was broken. Cindy Sherman's Being Eustace features her creative reworking of Eustace Tilley, the dandy portrayed by Rea Irvin for the magazine's first issue in February 1925. The image has been reimagined on mastheads and anniversary covers, becoming a recognizable emblem of the publication.
“It was a real challenge. Because there are so many variations of Eustace, I thought it would be easier, but finding my own vision was harder,” Sherman said. “I was waiting for a sudden eureka moment. I tried a lot of combinations — I found a hat, but no jackets worked with it until I tried this one,” she added, pointing to a jacket she bought at the Salvation Army in the early 2000s. She also said she had intended to use a prosthetic nose for Eustace, but found one in her own collection of fake noses. (Her studio also contains shelves of found and repurposed doll heads and other curios.)
An embodiment of R. O. Blechman's 1996 vision of the dandy in the form of “Eustace Tilley.”
Art Spiegelman's 1997 version of Dick Tilly featured another iconic character, comic book character Dick Tracy.
William Wegman's 2000 photo of “Putting on the Dog” remained the only cover photo—until now.
For the cover of Nine for Ninety, for the publication's 90th anniversary in 2015, Kadir Nelson depicted a dandy looking at a mobile phone.
Forty-five takes on the character have appeared on covers since R. Crumb’s first reworking of Eustace in 1994; however, Sherman’s is the first to feature the character looking into a reflection. The artist is pleased to have discovered a new approach. “I was on the verge of giving up on it, but once I combined the jacket, hat, nose, and Clarissa Bronfman pin, it became complete,” she explained with a laugh.
More images of Eustace Tilley are shown below:
“Butterfly Flaps Its Wings” by Chris Ware
“Eustace Turns Around” by Liniers
“Origin Story” by Barry Blitt
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Sourse: newyorker.com
