At the end of the 19th C. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made dynamic and empathetic portrayals of Parisian circus acts, including bareback riders, acrobats, and clowns, often sketching them from memory using crayon and pastel while undergoing treatment for alcoholism in a sanitarium.

In this episode of the Illustrated Journalism podcast Annie (A.) and Ira (I.) have a conversation about William Simpson, a renowned British "Special Artist" and war correspondent, focusing on his eyewitness account of the Modoc War in 1872. They also contemplate the future role of A.I. in historical analysis.

In this episode of the Illustrated Journalism podcast Annie and Ira have a conversation about the life and work of artist and archeologist Howard Carter, who discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun and how his early work involved making meticulous drawings and watercolors of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and wall decorations.

In this Illustrated Journalism episode Annie and Ira discuss Jo Mora, a versatile artist of the American West, who immersed himself in the culture of the Hopi and Navajo peoples of Arizona, documenting their traditions through art and photography. While he found commercial success with his illustrated maps and depictions of cowboy life, his detailed portrayals of Hopi culture are considered a significant ethnological record.

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* Read more about Jo Mora here.

* Listen on Apple Podcasts here.

Note: Some of the audio dialogue in this podcast is AI-generated using Google’s NoteBookLM.

In this Illustrated Journalism episode Annie and Ira discuss Alan E. Cober, an impactful visual journalist known for his empathetic and unflinching portrayal of the human condition, particularly focusing on marginalized populations like prisoners, the elderly and the mentally ill. Read more about Cober here.

In this Illustrated Journalism podcast episode Annie and Ira discuss Lili Réthi and her drawing the drama and intricacies of immense construction projects, who was unfazed by their monumental scale, dangerous conditions on-site and the various challenges she faced in life. Read more about Lili Réthi here.

In this podcast episode of the Illustrated Journalism podcast Annie (A.) and Ira (I.) have a conversation about British reportage artist Paul Hogarth and his collaboration with Irish poet and playwright Brendan Behan on a book about New York.

In this new Illustrated Journalism podcast Annie (A.) and Ira (I.) have a conversation about artist and traveler Earl Thollander, who just wanted to slow down, travel, observe, appreciate, draw and share the world in all its diversity.

In this podcast the hosts discuss Bill Russell's luxurious multi-course Japanese kaiseki-ryori dinner at a traditional ryokan inn. They provide a detailed account of each dish, from the aperitif to dessert, highlighting the artistic presentation and refined techniques involved.

In this podcast we discuss the artwork of Robert Michel, a prisoner at Devil's Island, a notorious French penal colony in French Guiana. Michel's drawings, which depict the harsh realities of life in the prison, were included in René Belbenoît's memoir Dry Guillotine, providing a powerful visual accompaniment to his harrowing narrative. These drawings offer a unique and poignant glimpse into the brutal lives of prisoners.