internet resources

Paul Cammarata Editorial cartoons on the Web Picturing politics

ditorial or political cartoons are artistic Access: http://library.kent.ac.uk/cartoons Ecreations depicting political and so­ /collections/cartoonhub.php. cial commentary of the time. The study of The Daily Cartoonist. The Daily editorial cartoons involves many academic Cartoonist, a news blog for professional car­ disciplines including journalism and mass toonists, was launched in 2005. “While it has communications, political science, history and primarily focused on newspaper cartooning art. Political campaigns and presidential elec­ (comic strips and editorial cartooning), its tions, including the current campaign, have coverage has grown to include webcomics, always provided rich material for editorial movies and animation, and magazine gag car­ cartoonists. Editorial cartoons have expanded toonists.” One of the key features on this site beyond the printed page of newspapers and is a lengthy list of editorial cartoon bloggers are now a visible presence on the Internet. on the right side of the home page. Access: The following is a selective list of Internet http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php. resources for students, scholars and the Daryl Cagle’s Professional Car­ general public. toonist’s Index. Daryl Cagle, the MSNBC’s editorial cartoonist, is the host of this Web Starting points site, which is updated daily and contains an CartoonHub: A National Hub for Brit­ extensive selection of national and interna­ ish Cartoons and Caricature. CartoonHub’s tional editorial cartoons. This site contains a Web site states, “The RSLP CartoonHub Proj­ blog by Cagle, special interests sections (such ect is creating a national hub for research as Campaign 2008 and Iraq), Teacher Guide, into British cartoons and caricature.” The and Search for a Cartoon. There are links CartoonHub is based in the British Cartoon to the Year in Review, which start with the Archive at the University of Kent­Canterbury. Best Editorial Cartoons of 2001. The Teacher Its partners are the British Library of Politi­ Guide has lesson plans from elementary cal and Economic Science, the John Rylands school through high school. This site orga­ University Library of Manchester, and the Na­ nizes America’s top columnists and political tional Library of Wales. The Web site touts that cartoonists by topic, but contains a database it is the “world’s largest electronic archive of searchable by date, keyword, topic, or artist. cartoons with a catalogued database of over Access: http://cagle.msnbc.com/. 90,000 images.” The site contains a separate Editorial Cartoons (comics.com). links page that is an annotated listing of car­ Comics.com is a source of various comics on toon archives and collections, professional the Web. The Editorial tab takes you to a page organizations, and numerous Web resources. of recent cartoons and links to more than

Paul Cammarata is assistant collection development librarian at the University of South Carolina, e-mail: [email protected] © 2008 Paul Cammarata

C&RL News October 2008 536 45 political cartoonists, such as Daryl Cagle, major cartoonists, including newspaper comic Mike Luckovich, and Signe Wilkinson. Access: strips and panels, comic books, editorial car­ http://www.comics.com/editoons/. toons, animation, advertising, magazine and more. The site has News, History, and Awards Professional organizations as well as a Members directory with sample The Association of American Editori­ cartoons and blog for each artist. The site has al Cartoonists (AAEC). This professional as­ a Chapter listing and Other Useful Web Sites, sociation concerns itself with “promoting the which includes Daryl Cagle’s Professional interests of staff, freelance and student edito­ Cartoonists Index, the Society of Illustra­ rial cartoonists in the United States.” The site tors, the American Association of Editorial uses a tab approach to information with sec­ Cartoonists, and more. Access: http://www. tions titled: Welcome, Cartoons, Cartoonists, reuben.org/ncs/news.asp. News and History, AAEC, and Members. Key Political Cartoon Society. This society features include searching the current year’s states, “Our aim is to promote the ‘politi­ editorial cartoons and being able to search the cal’ cartoon by way of amusing, informing past ten years. The site enables you to search and educating. Cartooning in Britain has an for an individual member cartoonist or to unrivalled heritage going back over many search by keyword for cartoons on a particu­ hundreds of years.” The site does not have lar subject. When searching for an individual many cartoons for viewing; however, it does cartoonist, you are directed to a biographi­ have links to Exhibitions and Events, Cartoon cal profile of the cartoonist that has links to History, and Cartoon Gallery. Cartoons can be contact information, recent cartoons, and a found under Exhibitions, while Cartoon His­ direct Web site link, if available. The News tory links to essays of historical signifi cance and History tab has a link to Cartoon His­ such as “Steve Bell in America.” Access: http:// tory Corner featuring obituary information of www.politicalcartoon.co.uk/index.html. cartoonists. Access: http://editorialcartoonists. com/. Libraries and special collections The Cartoonists’ Club of Great Brit­ Caroline and Erwin Swann Col­ ain. “The Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain lection of Caricature and Cartoon. This has evolved since 1960 into one of the larg­ collection was created by Erwin Swann, a est cartoonists’ organizations in the world, New York advertising executive who started with a membership of over 200 full and part collecting original cartoon drawings of artistic time Cartoonists in the United Kingdom (and and humorous interest. He created the Swann further afield).” This professional organiza­ Foundation in 1968 to promote preservation, tion site lists Meetings and Events, Cartoon­ exhibition, scholarship, and publication of ing News, Articles, and Reviews. There is a caricature and cartoon. The collection is member’s portfolio section that is subdivided housed in the Library of Congress (LOC) and by topic with sections entitled: Political, contains “…2,085 drawings, prints, and paint­ Social, Editorial Comment, Editorial Illustra­ ings related to the art of caricature, cartoon, tion, Cartoonist’s blog, and Galleries. The site and illustration which spans the years 1780 also features a Public Question and Answer to 1977.” The Web site links to the online Forum, Live Chat Room and Useful Links. catalog (www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html) Access: http://www.ccgb.org.uk/lobby/index. record for each image which is available in php?/pages/welcome.html. the LOC Prints and Photographs Division. National Cartoonists Society (NCS). There is an online bibliography of related The National Cartoonists Society is the world’s collections at the LOC and related collections largest and most prestigious organization of and sources outside of the LOC with contact professional cartoonists. Established in 1946, information. Access: http://www.loc.gov/rr NCS membership boasts 500 of the world’s /print/coll/230_swan.html#Bibliography.

October 2008 537 C&RL News Cartoon Research Library. The Car­ Revolutionary War to the War of 1812 and to toon Research Library is part of the Ohio the presidential elections of 1860 and 1864 State University Libraries. Its “primary mission which brought Abraham Lincoln to the White is to develop a primary research collection House. To facilitate browsing, the exhibition documenting American printed cartoon art, is divided by time period and includes a to organize the materials, and to provide section on the history of caricature. As you access to these resources.” The collection in­ visit the online galleries, you will sample cludes editorial cartoons, comic strips, comic the works of notable artists and publishers books, graphic novels, sports cartoons, and who sought to portray and comment upon magazine cartoons. There is an Online Re­ the events forging America’s future.” This sources Guide that allows you to view Digital exhibit shows the rich history of political Albums, Digital Exhibits, Finding Aids, and cartoons at the time they were produced Other links. Drawn on Stone is of special and creates a visual historical perspective for interest with guides to exhibits, checklists, today’s reader. Access: http://www.indiana. and a bibliography. This section “…explores edu/~liblilly/cartoon/cartoons.html. American political cartooning during the tumultuous Jacksonian era. It features thirty rare satirical lithographs recently acquired by the Cartoon Research Library….and illustrates the surge in the creation and distribution of political cartoon broadsides made pos­ Online exhibits sible by the relative ease and speed of the Cartoon America: A Library of Con­ new print­making process of lithography.” gress Exhibit. James Arthur Wood Jr. was an Access: http://cartoons.osu.edu/index.php. award winning political cartoonist. The Art Dr. Seuss Went to War: A Catalog of Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature Political Cartoons. The Dr. Seuss Collec­ contains more than 36,000 original cartoon tion in the Mandeville Special Collections drawings with the online exhibit containing Library at the University of California­San 102 drawings selected as examples of the Diego, contains the original drawings and collection, which reflect Wood’s primary newspaper clippings of the more than 400 collecting interests including political illus­ editorial cartoons that Dr. Seuss (Theodor trations, comic strips, and caricature. “He Seuss Geisel) drew from 1941­1943, when collected more than 16,000 political cartoons he was the chief editorial cartoonist for the by hundreds of the leading creators of the New York newspaper PM (1940­1948). The ‘ungentlemanly art,’ a phrase that is com­ collection is searchable by date, subject, monly used to describe this type of graphic countries, regions, War, Domestic Issues, satire.” The Political Illustrations tab will and Battles and Battlefields. This unique provide examples of editorial cartoons from collection adds to the knowledge of political greats such as Thomas Nast, Ding Darling, cartoons by some famous, but lesser known, Rube Goldberg, and many others express­ political cartoonists. Access: http://orpheus. ing their unique viewpoints. Access: http:// ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/Frame.htm. www.loc.gov/exhibits/cartoonamerica Political Cartoons of the Lilly Li­ /cartoonamerica­home.html. brary. This online exhibition highlights Monstrous Craws and Character selections from a rich collection of politi­ Flaws: Masterpieces of Cartoon and Cari­ cal cartoons in the Lilly Library located at cature at the Library of Congress. This Indiana University­Bloomington. “The exhibit is part of the Prints and Photographs caricatures depict times of turbulence in Division of the Library of Congress. “Great American history and range in date from the graphic artists have created enduring im­

C&RL News October 2008 538 ages that demonstrate the power of art as a available allowing the user to search Across vehicle for social and political commentary. All Fields, Selected Fields, By Proximity, or Caricatures and cartoons are among the most By Date. Access: http://cdm.lib.usm.edu lasting and effective of these images.” This /cdm_usm/cartoon.php. exhibit is a collection of editorial cartoonists The Editorial Cartoons of Jay N. through the centuries creating a timeline of “Ding” Darling. This collection is housed assorted viewpoints. Access: http://www. in the University of Iowa’s Digital Library comics.com/editoons/. and contains 11,000 cartoons by Pulitzer Running for Office: Candidates, Prize winner J. N. “Ding” Darling. Darling Campaigns, and the Cartoons of Clif­ was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for ford Berryman. Berryman was a staff syndicated editorial cartoons which he drew political cartoonist for The Washington “…almost daily between 1900 and 1949, in Post and the Washington Evening Star for 1934­1935 he headed what is now the U.S. the first half of the 20th century. He drew Fish and Wildlife Service, created the Fed­ thousands of cartoons commenting on the eral Duck Stamp Program which has since candidates, campaigns, issues, and the restored thousands of acres of wet lands, election process. This online exhibit fea­ and in 1936 founded the National Wildlife tures cartoons that appeared on the front Federation.” The cartoons can be searched page of Washington newspapers from 1898 by Topic, People, Events, and Depictions. through 1948, and gives a picture of the One of the unique features to this site is the entire election process. The full collection Audio Recordings. This site allows you the of more than 2,400 pen and ink drawings opportunity to hear Darlings voice as he are now housed with the historical records comments on the making of four cartoons. of Congress in the Center for Legislative Access: http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/ding/. Archives at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Access: http:// www.archives.gov/exhibits/running ­for­offi ce/. Museums Digital collections Cartoon Art Museum. The Cartoon AAEC Editorial Cartoon Digital Art Museum is located in San Francisco, Collection. The Editorial Cartoon Digital and is committed to fostering and promot­ Collection is part of the digital collections ing a greater appreciation of cartoon art. of University of Southern Mississippi Librar­ The Web site has a list of cartoon links, ies. “It contains examples of the work of which act as an online directory to Museums member artists of the American Association and Galleries, Virtual Exhibits, Publishers, of Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC). With more and Organizations. Access: http://www. than 1,000 cartoons representing more than cartoonart.org/links.html. 50 cartoonists, the digital collection is still National Cartoon Museum (formerly growing. Created primarily in the 1960s International Museum of Cartoon Art). In and 1970s, the cartoons reflect changes in July 2008, the International Museum of American social and political attitudes and Cartoon Art (a.k.a. the National Cartoon provide artistic commentary on such topics Museum) merged with Ohio State University as the Civil Rights Movement, Watergate, to create the largest collection of original the Vietnam War, government bureaucracy, cartoon art in the world. The collection taxes, and political corruption.” You may consists of approximately 300,000 drawings, browse the collection of cartoons or search thousands of books, comic books, fi lms, and by keyword, cartoonist, publisher, or time memorabilia. Access: http://www.cartoon. period. An advance search feature is also org/exhibits/.

October 2008 539 C&RL News