Earlier this year, I had the privilege of visiting the New York Public Library’s exhibit marking A Century of The New Yorker, running from February 22nd, 2025, to February 21st, 2026.
Very few publications have been able to shape American writing and journalism like The New Yorker has, from its sharp humor and wit, to its investigative reporting, the magazine has kept a unique voice for 100 years.
The collection takes visitors inside The New Yorker’s history, starting from the very beginning up until present day. It also shows visitors the careful selection and intense editing that goes into both creating and putting together each issue.
When The New Yorker first launched on February 21, 1925, no one was sure if it would last. Husband and wife, Harold Ross and Jane Grant, both journalists themselves and founders of The New Yorker, made it clear that they wanted a “smart weekly magazine.”
According to the online exhibition on the New York Public Library website, “They took inspiration from many places: the community of witty writers, artists, critics, and performers with whom they socialized; the modernist design ethos of the Jazz Age; and the clever humor magazines like Judge and The Smart Set that Ross read voraciously,” the exhibition said.
Early on they faced financial struggles that almost shut the magazine down, but Ross pushed forward, bringing in talent like Dorothy Parker, E.B. White, Peter Arno, and Helen Hokinson. “By the end of the decade, The New Yorker was turning a profit—and had established itself as a magazine of singular irreverence and sophistication,” the exhibition said.
The magazine quickly became recognizable for its one-of-a-kind style including unique covers, witty cartoons, and precise editing.
The archives at the New York Public Library give a behind-the-scenes look at how issues come together, with hand-edited manuscripts, advertising proofs, and editorial notes.
Each issue takes teamwork: fact-checkers verify every detail, editors refine the writing, and designers make sure column inches are just right. “Secretaries, typists, librarians, and assistants kept the New Yorker offices running smoothly, issue after issue,” the exhibition said.
By the 1930s, The New Yorker had found its place—clever, insightful, and deeply connected to city life.
While initially written for a white audience, its coverage expanded over time. As tensions grew in Europe, the magazine reported on Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, and Germany’s increasing anti-Semitic violence, “At the start of the war, The New Yorker was a popular local magazine; by the end, it was one of the most influential publications in America,” the exhibition said.
After Ross’s passing in 1951, longtime editor William Shawn took over and led the magazine into an era of groundbreaking investigative journalism. Stories explored racial inequality, environmental crises, and political issues.
But as the audience leveled off in later years, The New Yorker had to balance staying true to its traditions while adjusting to new media.
Advance Publications bought The New Yorker in 1985, bringing change to a magazine known for resisting it. Tina Brown became editor in 1987 and modernized the publication with photography, new voices, and a fresh editorial approach.
Some welcomed the updates, while others criticized them, but the magazine was prepared for what was ahead.
When David Remnick became editor in 1998, media was evolving fast. Online journalism changed how people consumed news, and The New Yorker adjusted, keeping its investigative depth while making stories accessible digitally.
As The New Yorker enters its second century, it continues to prioritize sharp, thoughtful reporting, and The New York Public Library’s exhibition offers visitors a chance to explore that legacy firsthand.