Mauldin Cartoon Collection NMAH.AC.0307 Frank R. Jenkins 2003 Archives Center, National Museum of American History P.O. Box 37012 Suite 1100, MRC 601 Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 [email protected] http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives Table of Contents Collection Overview ........................................................................................................ 1 Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1 Biographical / Historical.................................................................................................... 2 Arrangement..................................................................................................................... 3 Scope and Contents........................................................................................................ 2 Names and Subjects ...................................................................................................... 3 Container Listing ............................................................................................................. 4 Series 1: Artwork and Articles, 1946-1987............................................................... 4 Series 2: Biographical Information, 1960-1970; undated....................................... 21 Series 3: Other Artwork, 1959-1961...................................................................... 22 Mauldin Cartoon Collection NMAH.AC.0307 Collection Overview Repository: Archives Center, National Museum of American History Title: Mauldin Cartoon Collection Identifier: NMAH.AC.0307 Date: 1946-1987 Creator: Mauldin, Bill, 1921-2003 (Artist) Source: Archives of American Art (Collector) Extent: 8 Cubic feet (20 boxes) Language: English . Summary: Collection is believed to contain all of Mauldin's published cartoons from 1946 to 1987; also periodical and newspaper articles about and by Mauldin, personal items, including his genealogy, and an original sketchbook used by Mauldin while he was in Vietnam, February 1965. Digital Image(s): Mauldin Cartoon Collection: 1946-1987. Content: Administrative Information Acquisition Information The collection was donated by Alice R. Colquitt, on March 10, 1988. Provenance Collection transferred to the Archives Center from the Archives of American Art, SI. Processing Information Processed by Frank R. Jenkins, volunteer, 2003; supervised by Vanessa Broussard-Simmons, archivist, 2003. Preferred Citation Mauldin Cartoon Collection, 1946-1987, Archives Center, National Museum of American History Restrictions Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at [email protected] or 202-633-3270. Conditions Governing Use Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions. Page 1 of 22 Mauldin Cartoon Collection NMAH.AC.0307 Biographical / Historical William Henry (Bill) Mauldin, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning military and political cartoonist, was born in Mountain Park, New Mexico in 1921. He studied for a year at the Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago and did some freelance cartooning before World War II. He joined the Arizona National Guard and when the war broke out he was activated and became a cartoonist for the 45th Infantry Division newspaper, and later for Stars and Stripes, a newspaper written for and distributed to GI's. It was for the Stars and Stripes that he created his two most famous characters. Willie and Joe were two dog faced infantrymen whose exploits reflected Mauldin's first hand observations of combat (he was awarded the purple heart) and the anxieties and frustrations that confronted Americans in a combat zone. His cartoons were the most popular pinups in tents and barracks along with photos of movie stars. Many of the Army's leaders, including General Patton, didn't like the disrespectful tone of some of the cartoons, but General Eisenhower did, so they continued to be published. After the war he drew political cartoons, first for United Feature Syndicates then for the St. Louis Post- Dispatch and then for the Chicago Sun Times. They ranged in subject from local matters to international politics. He was a master satirist who could find the cracks in any idol be it democratic (Kennedy), republican (Eisenhower) or demagogue (De Gaulle). Mauldin wrote newspaper and magazine articles, some on contemporary life and politics, and some based on his visits to war zones in Korea, the Mid-East and Vietnam. He wrote a number of books including Up Front which was made into a movie. Scope and Contents The collection contains newspaper clippings or photocopies of Mauldin's published cartoons from 1946 to 1987. Some of his most famous cartoons from World War II were reprised during this time. Newspaper and magazine articles written and/or illustrated by Mauldin are also included as are magazine covers and a Vietnam sketchbook containing pen and ink renderings of battle scenes observed by Mauldin during a visit. Other documents include correspondence, a number of articles written about Mauldin, his genealogy and photographs of his family. Some correspondence and drawings by Mauldin's friend, artist Mailton Caniff are also included. Series 1, Artwork and Articles, 1946-1987, include published material written or drawn by Mauldin and is arranged in chronological order. Subseries 1, Cartoons, 1946-1987, consists of clippings and draft submissions of published cartoons and are arranged in chronological order. Subseries 2, Articles Written by Mauldin, 1947-1982, consists of clippings and drafts of newspaper and magazine articles and is arranged in chronological order. Subseries 3, Articles Illustrated by Mauldin, 1948-1970, consists of illustrations arranged chronologically. Subseries 4, Related Materials, 1961-1968, consists of magazine covers, sketches and a map to his wedding and is arranged in alphabetical order. Series 2, Biographical Information, 1947-1968; undated, includes articles written about Mauldin, biography, some correspondence and reviews of and advertisements for his books. The materials are arranged in alphabetical order. Series 3, Other Artwork, 1948-1960, include clippings of drawings by Milton Caniff and some miscellaneous material. Materials are arranged in alphabetical order. Page 2 of 22 Mauldin Cartoon Collection NMAH.AC.0307 Arrangement The collection is arranged in three series: Series 1, Artwork and Articles, 1946–1987 Subseries 1.1, Cartoons, 1946-1987 Subseries 1.2, Articles Written by Mauldin, 1947-1982 Subseries 1.3, Articles Illustrated by Mauldin, 1948-1970 Subseries 1.4, Related Materials, 1961-1968 Series 2, Biographical Information, 1947-1968; undated Series 3, Other Artwork, 1948-1960 Names and Subject Terms This collection is indexed in the online catalog of the Smithsonian Institution under the following terms: Subjects: Korean War, 1950-1953 Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975 World War, 1939-1945 Types of Materials: Cartoons (humorous images) -- 1930-1960 Clippings -- 20th century Correspondence -- 1940-1990 Genealogies Personal papers -- 20th century Political cartoons -- 1940-1950 Sketchbooks -- 1940-1990 Names: Archives of American Art Chicago Sun-Times St. Louis Post-Dispatch Occupations: Cartoonists Places: Arizona Vietnam Page 3 of 22 Series 1: Artwork and Articles Mauldin Cartoon Collection NMAH.AC.0307 Container Listing Series 1: Artwork and Articles, 1946-1987 Subseries 1.1: Cartoons, 1946-1987 Box 1, Folder 1 Cartoons, January 1946 Box 1, Folder 2 Cartoons, August 1946 Box 1, Folder 3 Cartoons, September 1946 Box 1, Folder 4 Cartoons, October 1946 Box 1, Folder 5 Cartoons, November 1946 Box 1, Folder 6 Cartoons, December 1946 Box 1, Folder 7 Cartoons, 1947 Box 1, Folder 8 Cartoons, January 1947 Box 1, Folder 9 Cartoons, February 1947 Box 1, Folder 10 Cartoons, March 1947 Box 1, Folder 11 Cartoons, April 1947 Box 1, Folder 12 Cartoons, May 1947 Box 1, Folder 13 Cartoons, June 1947 Box 1, Folder 14 Cartoons, July 1947 Box 1, Folder 15 Cartoons, August 1947 Box 1, Folder 16 Cartoons, September 1947 Box 1, Folder 17 Cartoons, October 1947 Box 1, Folder 18 Cartoons, December 1947 Box 1, Folder 19 Cartoons, January 1948 Box 1, Folder 20 Cartoons, February 1948 Page 4 of 22 Series 1: Artwork and Articles Mauldin Cartoon Collection NMAH.AC.0307 Box 1, Folder 21 Cartoons, March 1948 Box 1, Folder 22 Cartoons, April 1948 Box 1, Folder 23 Cartoons, 1948-07 Box 1, Folder 24 Cartoons, August 1948 Box 1, Folder 25 Cartoons, September 1948 Box 2, Folder 1 Cartoons, April 1958 Box 2, Folder 2 Cartoons, May 1958 Box 2, Folder 3 Cartoons, June 1958 Box 2, Folder 4 Cartoons, July 1958 Box 2, Folder 5 Cartoons, August 1958 Box 2, Folder 6 Cartoons, September 1958 Box 2, Folder 7 Cartoons, October 1958 Box 2, Folder 8 Cartoons, November 1958 Box 2, Folder 9 Cartoons, December 1958 Box 2, Folder 10 Cartoons, January 1959 Box 2, Folder 11 Cartoons, February 1959 Box 2, Folder 12 Cartoons, March 1959 Box 2, Folder 13 Cartoons, April 1959 Box 2, Folder 14 Cartoons, May 1959 Box 2, Folder 15 Cartoons, June 1959 Box 2, Folder 16 Cartoons, July 1959 Box 3, Folder 1 Cartoons, August 1959 Box 3, Folder 2 Cartoons, September 1959 Box 3, Folder 3 Cartoons, October 1959 Page 5 of 22 Series 1: Artwork and Articles Mauldin Cartoon Collection