The idea:
1) It's interesting, looking at how a good journalist describes his human subject.
2) It's helpful to see the description with a photo. I've collected several such pairings here. Most come from the pages of The New Yorker; some are related to the magazine's editors or writers.
3) It's shorter than it should be. Got a favoured description from The New Yorker? Please send me the excerpt and its issue date. I'll find an image and post it with a credit to you.
