--- title: Jack Davis: Cartoonist Who Captured 1970s Icons Dies at 91 description: Jack Davis, a cartoonist for TIME and MAD Magazines, died Wednesday at 91. Here are some of the iconic covers he created for TIME. canonical: https://time.com/4428441/jack-davis-time-covers/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-28T21:13:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:59:39.694Z article:section: History og:title: Jack Davis: Cartoonist Who Captured 1970s Icons Dies at 91 og:description: Browse some of the TIME covers illustrated by Davis og:url: https://time.com/4428441/jack-davis-time-covers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65c82ce36b226fd3/69889ffd196cf4b52803c9f7/160728-time-cover-jack-davis-06.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Jack Davis TIME Magazine Cover og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jack Davis: Cartoonist Who Captured 1970s Icons Dies at 91 twitter:description: Browse some of the TIME covers illustrated by Davis twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65c82ce36b226fd3/69889ffd196cf4b52803c9f7/160728-time-cover-jack-davis-06.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # In Memoriam: Jack Davis, Creator of Iconic TIME Magazine Covers  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Jul 28, 2016 9:13 PM UTC  September 9, 1974 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. September 9, 1974 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis.Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Jul 28, 2016 9:13 PM UTC Jack Davis, a caricature artist and founding member of MAD magazine who designed covers for TIME magazine, died Wednesday. He was 91. The Atlanta native started his career at the [University of Georgia](https://news.uga.edu/releases/article/jack-davis-072716/)‘s campus publications before moving to New York City to take evening classes at the Art Students League. His freelance comic art for William Gaines’ EC Comics helped earned him a place in the so-called “Usual Gang of Idiots,” the group that started the humor publication [_MAD_ ](http://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2016/07/27/mad-remembers-jack-davis-artist)[magazine](http://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2016/07/27/mad-remembers-jack-davis-artist) in 1952\. He went on to do the movie posters for the 1963 slapstick comedy [_It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World_](https://www.criterion.com/films/28579-it-s-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world) and for ’70s flicks, such as Woody Allen’s _Bananas_ and Robert Altman’s _The Long Goodbye_. But when the culture news outlet [_The A.V. Club_ ](http://www.avclub.com/article/jack-davis-66444)asked Davis in 2011 what illustrations he’s most proud of, the cartoonist said his TIME magazine covers —which, as seen above, spoofed the most influential figures and events of the ’70s, from football’s Joe Namath and the Super Bowl to U.S. presidents Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter. “The one I did of Ford rolling up his sleeves is about one of my best,” he said. “And the one with Kissinger.” All of these illustrations were done with little “direction” from the editors, he added: --- > “” --- He received two of his profession’s most prestigious awards — The Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in [1996 ](http://www.reuben.org/ncs/archive/divisions/caniff.asp)and the Reuben Award in [2000](http://www.reuben.org/awards/) — and the Society of Illustrators inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2005.  October 16, 1972 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  April 30, 1973 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  June 18, 1973 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  October 8, 1973 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  February 18, 1974 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  September 9, 1974 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  October 14, 1974 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  December 9, 1974 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  August 25, 1975 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  March 8, 1976 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  August 23, 1976 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine  January 10, 1977 cover of TIME magazine featuring art by Jack Davis. Jack Davis—TIME Magazine ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4428441/jack-davis-time-covers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4428441/jack-davis-time-covers/"},"headline":"In Memoriam: Jack Davis, Creator of Iconic TIME Magazine Covers","datePublished":"2016-07-28T21:13:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:59:39.694Z","description":"Browse some of the TIME covers illustrated by Davis","url":"https://time.com/4428441/jack-davis-time-covers/","keywords":["remembrance","photography","obituary","time magazine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65c82ce36b226fd3/69889ffd196cf4b52803c9f7/160728-time-cover-jack-davis-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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