Historical Society of Pennsylvania cartoons and caricatures collection

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania's collection of cartoons and caricatures spans from the mid 1700s to the 1970s, with most of them dating from the 1860s to the 1880s, and is housed in twelve boxes and two flat files. The early cartoons from 1700s are mostly represented by photographic re...

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Bibliographic Details
Corporate Author: Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Creator)
Collection:Historical Society of Pennsylvania Cartoons and Caricatures Collection
Collection Number:3133
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
Subjects and Genres:
Online Access:Link to finding aid
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LEADER 11305ntc a2200673 u 4500
001 ead-3133
008 240305i xx eng d
040 |e dacs 
041 0 |a eng 
099 |a 3133 
110 2 |a Historical Society of Pennsylvania  |e creator 
245 1 |a Historical Society of Pennsylvania cartoons and caricatures collection  |f (1754-1975, undated; bulk 1860-1880) 
300 |a 3.6 Linear feet  |f ; 12 boxes, 2 flat files 
351 |b The collection is arranged into five groups, four of which are by size. Within each group, the cartoons are arranged chronologically. Small cartoons, 1754-1950, undated (Boxes 1-2) [items smaller than 8.5 x 11 inches] Medium cartoons, 1831-1910, undated (Boxes 3-8) [items measuring 8.5 x 11 inches to 16 x 20 inches] Large cartoons, 1858-1950s, undated (Boxes 9-11) [items measuring 16 x 20 inches to 20 x 24 inches] Oversize cartoons, 1865, 1866, undated (Flat files 1-2) [items larger than 20 x 24 inches] Balch cartoons and magazine clippings, 1865-1975 (Box 12) 
500 |a Processing Information: As of 1/25/11, one item from the collection could not be located: "The Game of Seccession or Sketches of the Rebellion" (1862).  
506 |a All cartoons and original drawings in the collection that were published after 1923 are subject to current copyright rules and regulations. Permission to publish these items must be acquired from the artist(s), their heirs, or the publications(s) in which they first appeared. Unpublished cartoons created by artists who died after 1941 are under copyright for 70 years after the artist's death. 
520 |a The Historical Society of Pennsylvania's collection of cartoons and caricatures spans from the mid 1700s to the 1970s, with most of them dating from the 1860s to the 1880s, and is housed in twelve boxes and two flat files. The early cartoons from 1700s are mostly represented by photographic reproductions or Photostats--notes on this have been included in the collection's inventory. While some of the nineteenth and early twentieth century cartoons are original prints, the vast majority of them were clipped from local newspapers or magazines such as Harper's Weekly or Puck. Please note that some of these cartoons may be subject to current copyright rules and regulations. Please see the access note under the Administrative Information section of this guide for more information. The collection is primarily arranged by size and then chronologically within each size group. Items in Boxes 1 and 2 have been placed into folders; items throughout the rest of the collection are either in folders or have been matted (each matte retains a "folder" number). Exceptions to this arrangement are Box 11, which contains primarily original drawings that are arranged alphabetically by artist, and Box 12, which contains items of different sizes arranged in chronological order. The collection is particularly strong in Civil War-era cartoons, especially those from 1864 that highlight that year's presidential election. Other fairly strong groups include cartoons from the 1868 presidential election; the late 1860s and early 1870s, some of which discuss Reconstruction; cartoons from the World War I era; and cartoons and original drawings of cartoons from the 1930s that deal with New Deal politics. Despite the collection's almost 200-year date span, there are significant gaps. There are only a few reproductions of items from the mid to late 1700s, and there are scant cartoons from the early 1800s, the 1890s, the 1920s, and 1940s. There are no items from the 1840s or from 1863. For the most part, these cartoons were individually cataloged before processing began. Individual cartoons are listed in the inventory and loose groups of cartoons were either grouped by subject (e.g. John Weaver and John Wanamaker cartoons, Box 2, Folder 7) or placed into miscellaneous folders. Many of the images deal specifically with national issues and presidential elections, though most of the cartoons from the 1880s onward highlight local politics, issues, and people. Though humorous and exaggerated, these political cartoons demonstrate how drastically American political and social concerns changed -- from abolition and black rights, to the crisis during World War I, through the Depression and the New Deal, to post-war international security. Box 11 contains cartoons from the 1930s that were published in a variety of local and national newspapers, such as the Philadelphia Record, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. There are original drawings by Dorman H. Smith, Bruce Russell, Herbert Johnson, Jerry Doyle, Johnny Anderson, and others. Many of these cartoons are critical of Franklin Roosevelt, the New Deal, and the Democratic Party. The last box (Box 12) contains cartoons, clippings, and magazines that were collected by the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies. Most contain depictions of ethnic stereotypes, including African American, Irish, Chinese, and Jewish. And most of the cartoons are prints from magazines Puck and The Wasp, though a few other publications, such as Harper’s Weekly and Thistleton’s Illustrated Loyal Citizen, are represented There are also a handful of cartoons that are not prints but original, hand-drawn works in ink. Additionally, this series contains a mix of single cartoons and cartoons within full and partial magazine issues. A small number of the cartoons from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are in French, though the vast majority of items are in English.  
520 |a The Historical Society of Pennsylvania's cartoons and caricatures collection spans almost two hundred years of imagery mostly lampooning local, national, and international political issues. Comprising the collection are reproductions of eighteenth century cartoons, prints and clippings of nineteenth and twentieth century cartoons, and a number of original drawings of cartoons that appears in newspapers during the mid 1930s. The collection is particularly strong in Civil War cartoons from 1861 to 1862 and 1864 and cartoons from the 1868 presidential campaign. 
524 8 |a Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Historical Society of Pennsylvania collection of cartoons and caricatures (Collection 3133), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 
540 1 |a The collection is open for research. 
541 1 |a This is an artificial collection created over time by HSP staff mostly through donations and purchases of individual prints. It also incorporates previously uncataloged materials collected by the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies. Some of the 20th century cartoons and drawings were removed from the J. Hampton Moore papers (Collection 1541).  
544 |a At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania: The J. Hampton Moore papers (Collection 1541) contain a sizeable collection of political cartoons that were clipped from numerous publications. Some are loose and some were placed into scrapbooks. For further information, please see the collection's finding aid on our website or in HSP's library. Other political cartoons can be found in HSP's graphics collection, with call numbers that begin with Ba, Bb, Bc, and Bd. These items have been individually cataloged in our PC-4 card catalog, which is open to researchers in our library. 
545 |a The history of American political cartoons predates the founding of the nation. In 1754, Benjamin Franklin created his famous “Join or Die” poster, which many historians believe to be the first American political cartoon. Franklin hoped that his image of a snake comprised of separate segments would foster a sense of colonial unity during the French and Indian War. The colonies recycled the illustration a decade later, as tensions increased with Great Britain in the lead up to the Revolutionary War. During the early years of the nineteenth century, cartooning became a popular way for political parties, interest groups, and newspapers to express their opinions and rally support for a particular cause or candidate. By mid century, as sectional differences threatened to pull the country apart, political cartoons became increasingly biting and satirical. Not surprisingly, themes of race, slavery, and states’ and equal rights dominated the cartoons of the Civil War and Reconstruction years. Most political cartoons of the era appeared in newspapers and periodicals like Harper’s Weekly , Puck, and The Wasp. In 1871, Joseph Keppler Sr. founded the German language humor magazine Puck in St. Louis. Production in English began in New York in 1877. The magazine contained full color cartoons that dealt with contemporary political and social issues, and it remained in publication until 1918. The political satire magazine The Wasp was founded in San Francisco by Francis Korbel, a Czech immigrant, and his siblings in 1876. It was produced weekly under various names until the 1940s. 
555 |a Finding Aid Available Online:  
600 1 7 |a Costello, Jerry  |d 1897-1971.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Doyle, Jerry Aloysius  |d 1898-  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Duffy, Edwin  |d 1899-1962.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Fitzpatrick, Daniel  |d 1891-1969.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Hutton, Hugh McMillen  |d 1897-1976.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Johnson, Herbert.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Keller, G. Frederick.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand  |d 1838-1894.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a King, Wyncie  |d 1884-1961.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Kirby, Rollin  |d 1875-1952.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Opper, Frederick Burr  |d 1857-1937.   |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Paige, G.  |2 Local Sources 
600 1 7 |a Russell, Bruce  |d 1903-1963.  |2 NACO Authority File 
600 1 7 |a Smith, Dorman H. (Dorman Henry)  |d 1892-1956.   |2 NACO Authority File 
610 2 7 |a Harper's Weekly  |2 NACO Authority File 
610 2 7 |a Puck  |2 NACO Authority File 
610 2 7 |a The Wasp  |2 NACO Authority File 
650 0 |a American wit and humor--Periodicals.  
650 0 |a Ethnic groups--Comic books, strips, etc.  
650 0 |a Ethnic groups--United States--Attitudes.  
650 0 |a Minorities--United States--Attitudes.  
650 0 |a New Deal, 1933-1939--Caricatures and cartoons. 
650 0 |a Political cartoons--18th century. 
650 0 |a Political cartoons--19th century. 
650 0 |a Political cartoons--20th century.  
650 0 |a Political cartoons--United States. 
650 0 |a Presidents--United States--Election--1864--Caricatures and cartoons.  
650 0 |a Presidents--United States--Election--1868--Caricatures and cartoons.  
650 0 |a Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)--Caricatures and cartoons. 
650 0 |a Stereotypes (Social psychology)--History. 
650 0 |a World politics--Caricatures and cartoons.  
650 0 |a World War, 1914-1918--Caricatures and cartoons. 
651 0 |a United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Caricatures and cartoons.  
852 |a The Historical Society of Pennsylvania  |b Historical Society of Pennsylvania Cartoons and Caricatures Collection  |l 3133 
856 4 2 |y Link to finding aid  |u http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/c/Cartoons3133.html