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Political Cartoons

A political cartoon about the electoral system
[Detail] Electoral System.
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The political cartoon is a sort of pictorial breakfast food. It has the cardinal asset of making the beginning of the day sunnier. ~ John T McCutcheon

I've often summed up the role of the cartoonist as that of the boy in the Hans Christian Andersen story who says the emperor has no clothes on. ~ Herb Block

The political cartoon is not a news story and not an oil portrait. It's essentially a means for poking fun, for puncturing pomposity. ~ Herb Block

online resources
Especially for Teachers...

American Cartoon Prints - (Prints and Photographs) Link to more than 500 political prints made in America during the 18th and 19th centuries. Browse the entire collection by subject or click on the terms "political cartoons" or "caricatures."

Art of Arthur Szyk, The - (Library of Congress Information Bulletin) Read about Arthur Szyk’s anti-Axis World War II propaganda art. Type "cartoon" into the search box at the top of the LCIB index page to locate additional cartoon related articles.

Arthur Szyk: Artist for Freedom - (Exhibition) Explore the intricate drawings and cartoons created by Arthur Szyk, a Polish Jewish artist who emigrated to the United States in the 1940s.

Bill Mauldin: Beyond Willie and Joe - (Exhibition) This online presentation celebrates Mauldin’s life and features a selection of original cartoons spanning his career as a cartoonist.

British Cartoon Prints - (Prints and Photographs) Explore this sampling of 18th and 19th century digitized political and satirical cartoon prints by cartoonist and theme.

Caroline and Erwin Swan Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon – Exhibitions and Online Presentations - (Prints and Photographs) This site links to exhibitions based on the Library’s cartoon and caricature collections.

Cartoon America - (Exhibition) This exhibition features 102 drawings from the Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature. View a selection of political cartoons in The Ungentlemanly Art: Political Illustrations.

Cartoon Cornucopia: The J. Arthur Wood Collection - (Prints and Photographs) Enjoy a sampling from this recent Library of Congress acquisition of original cartoon art.

Cartoon, The - (Prints and Photographs) Cartoonist, Herb Block, writes about the political cartoon as a communication method.

Cartoon-related Research at the Library - (Prints and Photographs) This essay offers tips for doing cartoon research at the Library of Congress.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers - (Digital Collection) Search and read newspaper pages from 1900-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Browse newspapers for political cartoons.

Comic Book Art/Political Cartoons - (Exhibition) View cartoons from the September 11 Witness and Response exhibition.

Edmund Valtman: The Cartoonist Who Came in From the Cold - (Prints and Photographs) Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, Edmund Valtman, takes an anti-Communist stance on Cold War issues in his cartoons.

Herblock’s Gift: Selections from the Herblock Foundation Collection - (Exhibition) This exhibition features a selection of original Herblock cartoons spanning the artist's career.

Herblock’s History: Political Cartoons From the Crash to the Millenium - (Exhibition) The Presidents section of this exhibition features caricatures of American presidents from Herbert Hoover to Bill Clinton.

Humor’s Edge: Cartoons by Anne Telnaes - (Exhibition) Cartoons in the Pulitzer Prize Winning Cartoons section of this exhibit relate to the 2000 election.

Monstrous Craws & Character Flaws: Masterpieces of Cartoon and Caricature at the Library of Congress - (Exhibition) Explore this online exhibition of caricatures and cartoons that demonstrate the power of art as a vehicle for social and political commentary.

Oliphant’s Anthem: Presidential Campaigns - (Exhibition) This online exhibition includes a variety of Pat Oliphant’s editorial cartoons related to presidential campaigns.

Pat Oliphant’s Editorial Cartoons - (Learning Page Professional Development Workshop) Find the story in the cartoon in this section of the Discovering American Memory Workshop.


  Especially for your Students...

Afflicting the Comfortable: Cartoonist Paul Conrad Puts Words Behind the Pictures - (Library of Congress Information Bulletin) Learn more about editorial cartoonist, Paul Conrad, and his donation to the Library of Congress.

American Memory Timeline: Women’s Suffrage in the Progressive Era - (Feature) This political cartoon addresses a woman’s right to vote.

American Treasures: Cartoonist Bill Mauldin - (Exhibition) Learn about Bill Mauldin, one of America’s greatest editorial cartoonists.

American Treasures: Stop Thief! - (Exhibition) Learn about Thomas Nast – 19th century political cartoonist.

American Treasures: The Gerrymander - (Exhibition) In 1812, Jeffersonian Republicans forced through the Massachusetts legislature a bill rearranging district lines to assure them an advantage in the upcoming senatorial elections. This cartoon-map first appeared in the Boston Gazette for March 26, 1812.

Cartoonist Who Came in From the Cold, A - (Wise Guide) Learn about Edmund Valtman, an American cartoonist of the Cold War era.

Is Winning the Nobel Prize a Crime? - (Wise Guide) Bill Mauldin won the 1958 Nobel Prize for Literature for this cartoon.

It’s No Laughing Matter: Analyzing Political Cartoons - (Learning Page Activity) Cartoonists use a collection of tools to help them get their point across. Use this interactive activity to take apart real-world cartoons as you learn how to spot the methods behind the message.

It’s the Stupidest Tea Party - (Wise Guide) According to editorial cartoonist Herb Block, the stupidest tea party was when, in October 1999, presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan switched from the Republican Party to the Reform Party.

Jump Back in Time: Boss Tweed Escapes From Prison - (America’s Library) This 1876 Thomas Nast cartoon depicting Tweed wearing the uniform of a convict, enabled Spanish authorities to recognize Tweed.

Jump Back in Time: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony - (America’s Library) This 1896 political cartoon pokes fun at these two women suffragists.

Jump Back in Time: Florida Seceded - (America’s Library) Discover the meaning behind this 1861 cartoon.

Jump Back in Time: James K. Polk Is Elected 11th President of the United States - (America’s Library) This 1844 pro-Democrat cartoon shows Polk, the expansionist candidate, and the collapse of Whig opposition to the addition of Texas.

Jump Back in Time: Marshall and McCarthyism - (America’s Library) This 1953 editorial cartoon comments on the political problems Senator Joseph McCarthy presented to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Jump Back in Time: Susan B. Anthony Women’s Suffrage Amendment - (America’s Library) This 1890s cartoon shows Susan B. Anthony chasing after President Grover Cleveland in her fight for women's right to vote.

Jump Back in Time: Teddy Bears - (America’s Library) Learn the meaning behind Clifford Berryman’s cartoon of Roosevelt as a Rough Rider with a bear cub.

Jump Back in Time: The 24th Amendment Ended the Poll Tax - (America’s Library) This 1964 cartoon makes fun of the poll tax.

Jump Back in Time: The Expedition Act Was Passed - (America’s Library) This 1900s cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt breaking up big trusts, including the beef trust.

Jump Back in Time: William Jennings Bryan and the Free Silver Movement - (America’s Library) Examine these 1896 and 1900 political cartoons illustrating Bryan’s belief in the Free Silver Movement.

Meet Amazing Americans: Jane Addams Peacemaker - (America’s Library) During World War I, newspaper cartoons like this one made fun of pacifists like Jane Addams.

Oliphant’s Anthem: Exhibition Commemorates Cartoonist’s Work. - (Library of Congress Information Bulletin) Read excerpts from an interview with editorial cartoonist, Pat Oliphant. Type "cartoon" into the search box at the top of the LCIB home page to locate additional cartoon related articles.

Providing a Reality Check - (Wise Guide) Learn about Anne Telnaes, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist.

Today in History (May 9) Join or Die - (Today in History) On this date in 1754, Join, or Die, considered the first American political cartoon, was printed in The Pennsylvania Gazette.


lesson plans

Use these lesson plans (created by educators for educators) to explore topics about science and invention with your students in your classroom:

America at the Centennial - (Grades 9-12) Students analyze items and images of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876 and question what these things said about America. There are a number of political cartoons among the examined items.


bibliography

Is there a title (or two) that you always read to (or with) your students when teaching about this theme? Are there invaluable reference books that you use? Staff from The Library of Congress have begun a collection of titles for the "Political Cartoons" theme. We hope you will contribute your favorites to our growing bibliography!

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collection connections

Create your own collaborative lesson plans using material related to this month's theme assembled from The Learning Page Collection Connections:

Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers' Newspaper of World War I, 1918-1919 - (Summary and Teaching Resources) Search the collection using the term "cartoons" to find WWI editorial cartoons.

African-American Experience in Ohio, 1850-1920, Selections from the Ohio Historical Society, The - (Summary and Teaching Resources) Search this collection using the term "cartoon" to find editorial cartoons.

American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera, An - (Summary and Teaching Resources) Search this collection using the term "cartoon" to find examples of political cartoons.

Chinese in California, 1850-1925, The - (Summary and Teaching Resources) Search this collection using the term "cartoon" to find political cartoons related to this topic.

Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century - (Summary and Teaching Resources) Use the terms "cartoonists" or "caricatures" to search this collection for cartoon related entries.

Civil War Treasures from the New York Historical Society - (Summary and Teaching Resources) Search this collection using the term "pictorial envelope" to find a selection of Civil War cartoon illustrations.

search terms

These terms may be useful when searching for items related to this theme in the American Memory collections.

Animation Cartoonists Comics
Animation cel Cartoons – American Editorial cartoons
Caricatures Cartoons – British Names of cartoonists
Cartoon Comic Book Illustration Pictorial envelope
Cartoon drawing Comic strip Political cartoons
Cartoons (commentary)    

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Last updated 10/18/2004