‘New Yorker’ Magazine Cover Depicts Pilgrims Fleeing Across U.S. Border

Cartoonist Christoph Niemann wanted to offer historical perspective to today's immigration debate.

By Jorge Rivas Nov 23, 2011

The cover of the November 28th issue of the "New Yorker" includes an illustration of a woman dressed as a pilgrim crossing what looks like the US-Mexico border.

The illustration is titled "Promised Land" and it was done by Christoph Niemann, an illustrator, designer and author of Abstract Sunday, a column for the "New York Times Magazine."

"Too often in politics, very complex subjects are being turned into sound bites, so it’s easy to take them apart," Niemann, explained to the "New Yorker." In "Promised Land," he says, "I draw a parallel between current immigrants and early settlers — the hope is that it will provide context, to help keep things in perspective. Cartoonists, not politicians, should be the ones who condense political discussions into simple images."

Niemann was born in Germany and moved to New York City in 1997. However, after 11 years he moved back to Berlin with his wife and three sons.