New Yorker Artist: George Booth 1926–2022

A great cartoonist and lovely human being

The wonderful New Yorker artist George Booth died this week at age 96. He was a friend, and one of the kindest people I know — aside from being a very gifted artist. George began at The New Yorker Magazine in 1969. Since then, the world has enjoyed his covers, cartoons and collections and we collectively fell in love with his pen line, his sense of humor and his spirit.

George’s drawings brought us into a specific world: his world. He was a playful guy, and his cartoons showed that. He didn’t often go political (really not at all), but he did get philosophical in a way only George could. He loved everyman, his work often showed us folks who appeared less well-off than some — or at least they looked as such. But these people George created didn’t seem to care about material things, they enjoyed life and all its wackiness.

I first met George at the onset of my career. I was just trying to make my way into my chosen field, and was at my first Cartoonists’ Guild meeting. Sitting alone and not knowing a soul, George came over, sat down and introduced himself. I was starstruck that THE George…