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A painting of a city skyline at sunset, rendered in soft, hazy tones of orange and blue. The silhouettes of several tall buildings stand against a glowing sky, with a bright sun dipping behind the horizon.

Illustration: The New Yorker marks 9/11 anniversary with archive of potent covers

Words
Rob Alderson
—
Date
11 September 2013

Today is the 13th anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers and a day of sober reflection on that world-changing day. Unsurprisingly The New Yorker has dedicated several covers to the tragedy and its aftermath over the years, and this week they posted a slideshow of 12 of the best. From Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly’s dark-outlined early contribution to more satirical efforts in subsequent years, the covers provide a potent reminder of the power illustration can still wield in modern society.

See the whole selection on The New Yorker website.

The cover of The New Yorker magazine from “Sept. 24, 2001”. Two black silhouettes of the World Trade Center towers stand against a dark grey background.
Above

Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly: 9/11/2001 (September 24, 2001)

An illustration for the cover of The New Yorker magazine reads “The New Yorker”. Two people walk side by side, their bodies cropped from the chest down.
Above

Edward Sorel: Street Scene (October 1, 2001)

An illustration of a yellow taxi cab covered in numerous US flags of various sizes. A person with a pale face and wide eyes looks out from the driver’s seat. The image is the cover of The New Yorker magazine, dated “Nov. 5, 2001”, and includes a sticker that reads “God Bless America”.
Above

Carter Goodrich: What So Proudly We Hailed (November 5, 2001)

A painting of a city skyline at sunset, with buildings rendered in soft blue and orange tones. Above the skyline, the masthead reads “The New Yorker” with the date “Sept. 16, 2002” and the price “Price $3.50”.
Above

Ana Juan: Dawn Over Lower Manhattan (September 16, 2002)

An illustration for the cover of The New Yorker magazine dated “Mar. 3, 2003”. A group of people stand and sit together in a crowded subway carriage, including a person in camouflage military gear.
Above

Edward Sorel: Tourist (March 3, 2003)

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Further Info

www.newyorker.com

About the Author

Rob Alderson

—

Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

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