July 14, 1998
Contact:
Press Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189
Swann Foundation Announces Fellowship in Caricature and Cartoon
The Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature
and Cartoon, newly relocated from New York City to the
Library of Congress, announces that it is now accepting
applications for its graduate fellowship. The Swann
Foundation awards one fellowship annually (with a stipend
of $15,000) to assist ongoing scholarly research and writing
projects in the field of caricature and cartoon. Completed
applications are due February 15, 1999, and notification
will occur in April 1999. The fellowship covers the
1999-2000 academic year.
To be eligible, one must be a candidate for an M.A.
or Ph.D. degree in a university in the United States,
Canada or Mexico and working toward the completion of a
dissertation or thesis for that degree, or be engaged in
postgraduate research within three years of receiving an
M.A. or Ph.D. Although research must be in the field of
caricature and cartoon, there is no limitation regarding
the place or time period covered. Since the Foundation
encourages research in a variety of academic disciplines,
there is no restriction upon the university department in
which this work is being done, provided the subject pertains
to caricature or cartoon art.
In the interest of increasing awareness and extending
documentation of Library of Congress collections, fellows
are required to make use of the Library's extensive
holdings, be in residence for at least two weeks during
the award period, and deliver a public lecture at the
Library on his/her work-in-progress at that time. Finally,
recipients must provide a copy of their dissertation,
thesis, or postgraduate publication, upon its completion,
for the Swann Foundation Fellowship files.
New York advertising executive Erwin Swann (1906-1973)
established the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon
in 1967. An avid collector, Swann assembled a large group
of original drawings by 400 artists, spanning two centuries,
which came to the Library of Congress in the 1970s, along
with an endowment for the acquisition, preservation,
exhibition, and publication of caricature and cartoon.
His collection joined the Library's distinguished holdings
in this field, which range from nearly 10,000 British,
French, Dutch, and German satires to a collection of
4,000 original drawings by such masters as Thomas Nast and
A.B. Frost from the golden age of American illustration
(1870-1920) and more than 20,000 original cartoon drawings
by several generations of leading American cartoonists
and illustrators, including Walt Kelly, Jules Feiffer,
Pat Oliphant, and Garry Trudeau, as well as drawings
for cartoons and cover illustrations for The New Yorker
magazine.
The Foundation's support of research and academic
publication is carried out in part through a program
of fellowships. Applications and guidelines are
available through the Swann Foundation's Web site:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swannhome.html, by
e-mailing: swann@loc.gov, or by calling (202) 707-9115.
The Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature
and Cartoon, administered by the Library of Congress, is
overseen by an advisory board composed of scholars,
collectors, cartoonists, and Library of Congress staff
members. Its activities support the study, interpretation,
preservation and appreciation of original works of humorous
and satiric art by graphic artists from around the world.
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PR 98-107
7/14/98
ISSN 0731-3527