New Research Guide: Cartoons and Caricatures

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new guide describing the Prints & Photographs Division’s large and varied collection of cartoon and caricature art. Martha H. Kennedy, now retired Curator of Popular & Applied Graphic Art and author of the guide, describes the appeal of this collection material: “The Library’s vast, diverse collections of comic art contain items that will delight and fascinate generalists and specialists alike, no matter how varied their visual tastes and interests. Among the thousands of political cartoons, caricatures, and drawings for comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, and animation art housed in the Prints & Photographs Division are gems to be discovered among these subgenres.”

The guide includes two galleries of sample images, one for works by artists who were active predominantly before the 20th century and one for those active from the 20th century through the present. The gallery of images made by early masters of political and social satire includes this image from the 1890s by Homer Davenport of two Uncle Sams, one confident and the other dejected, possibly in reaction to efforts by the United States to assert power in the Caribbean.

Another image from the gallery by early masters, made more than two centuries earlier, is this image by Romeyn de Hooghe depicting Jesuit priests engaged in debauchery.

Placing the sample images by artists active predominantly in the 20^th century and later directly below those by early masters provides researchers an opportunity to get a quick sense of how cartoon art developed over time. The 20th century and later section includes a number of comic strips, including this one by George Herriman in which a single flea inspires wacky high jinks.

This image by Anne Harriet Fish of couples dancing was made for the cover of the March 1921 issue of Vanity Fair.

Like the sample images, the selected collections featured in the guide are helpfully organized roughly by time period and include material made not only in the United States but elsewhere, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. The searching and viewing section provides tips for finding descriptions of collection material that may be of interest.

The related resources section provides even more avenues to explore by highlighting additional resources. Martha notes that “Online exhibitions of comic art available on the Library’s web site invite further exploration of the rich trove of cartoons and caricature in the division and spotlight exemplary work by talented cartoonists represented in the collections.” Whether interested in getting a small taste of the Library’s collection of cartoon and caricature art, or an expert yourself, this guide is a great launching point.

Learn More:

• Explore the guide: Cartoons & Caricatures: Finding Images at the Library of Congress
• Read a selection of Picture This blog posts written by Martha H. Kennedy to explore P&P’s cartoons from different angles:
  • Charles Dana Gibson: Exhibiting an Illustrator Who also Shines as a Cartoonist
  • Ready for Research: Anne Mergen’s Editorial Cartoons
  • Herb Block and Picasso?: One Cartoonist Connects with the Fine Art World