Meet Françoise Mouly, The New Yorker's art director. For the past 24 years, she's helped decide what appears on the magazine's famous cover, from the black-on-black depiction of the Twin Towers the week after 9/11 to a recent, Russia-influenced riff on the magazine's mascot, Eustace Tilley. In this visual retrospective, Mouly considers how a simple drawing can cut through the torrent of images that we see every day and elegantly capture the feeling (and the sensibility) of a moment in time.

The stories behind The New Yorker's iconic covers

Images on magazine covers do more than illustrate—they distill complex events and emotions into a single, powerful moment. The black-on-black Twin Towers cover after 9/11 and the evolving depiction of Eustace Tilley show how simple drawings can evoke loss, resilience, or satire. By inviting diverse artists to interpret current events, cover art becomes a cultural dialogue, sparking reflection and conversation. Sometimes, the most spare images speak loudest, connecting deeply with the public’s mood.