Subseries V: Other prints, 1802-1950
Sub-Series
Scope and Content:
From the Collection:
The Helen Farr Sloan’s political cartoon collection (1802-1950) contains a variety of prints of political cartoons, illustrations, and caricatures from several different magazines. The collection contains pages from magazines, pages from books, and other prints that were not a part of a publication. The magazines featured include Puck, Judge, Vanity Fair (British, 1868-1914), Vanity Fair (American, 1913-1936), Harper’s Weekly, Gil Blas, Le Charivari, Truth, The New Yorker, The Illustrated London News, The New York Herald, and The Sun. There are other series included like Treagar’s Black Jokes and Le Gens de Paris. There are works from publishers like S.W. Fores, Currier & Ives, and J.Sidebotham. Also included are works by Rowlandson, which are individually published.
The first series contains cartoons from Puck magazine. Its materials are pages and covers from the magazine including the fronts and backs of the pages. The artists that are included are Frederick Burr Opper, Frederich Graetz, Bernhard Gillam, J.S. Pughe, James Albert Wales, and Samuel Ehrhart.
The second series contains cartoons from Judge magazine. The materials are pages and covers from the magazine and include both the fronts and backs of the pages. The artists that are included are Thomas Worth, Bernhard Gillam, Victor Gillam, and Grant E. Hamilton.
The third series contains cartoons, caricatures, and portraits from Vanity Fair (British, 1868-1914) and Vanity Fair (American, 1913-1936) magazines. The materials for the British magazine include the one-sided caricatures and cartoons featured in the publication. The material for the American magazine contains a portrait on the front and a table of contents on the back of the page. The artists that are included are Carlo Pellegrini (Ape/Singe), James Tissot (Coïdé), Thomas Nast, Leslie Ward (Spy), and William Henry Cotton.
The fourth series contains cartoons from Harper’s Weekly magazine. The materials include the front and back side of pages from the magazine. The artists that are included are William L. Sheppard, Charles G. Bush, Thomas Nast, and A.B. Frost.
The fifth series contains cartoons, caricatures, and illustrations from various magazines and publications. The artists and their publications include Théophile Steinlin, from Gil Blas, Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier (Paul Gavarni), from Le Gens de Paris, Thomas Rowlandson, William Summers, from Tregear’s Black Jokes, Charles Williams, William Elmes, George Cruikshank, Isaac Robert Cruikshank, Jules Joseph Georges Renard (Draner), Charles Robinson, from The Illustrated London News, Thomas Worth, Richard F. Outcault, from the New York Herald, Helen E. Hokinson, from The New Yorker, Charles Amédée de Noé (Cham), from Le Charivari, Sydney B. Griffin, from Truth, Oscar Cesare, from The Sun, and William Bruns.
There are a wide variety of themes and events covered in the cartoons and illustrations throughout the collection. There are numerous presidential elections covered including the elections of 1806, 1880, 1884, 1888, 1892, and 1900. The 43rd and 54th Congresses are both represented within cartoons in the series. Other events that are shown in cartoons in the collection are the Chicago World’s Fair/World’s Columbian Exposition, the Spanish-American War, Reconstruction, and the Kansas Exodus. There are also many representations of the Democratic, Republican, Greenback, and Citizens parties as well as Tammany Hall. Other themes included are immigration, Jewish communities, social ambition, weather problems, voting rights, the gold standard vs. free silver debate, diseases, family roles, plantations, white supremacy groups, Communism, financial issues, militaries, pic-nic societies, King George IV’s court, political corruption, and social events and issues. A large number of the cartoons included in the collections are products of their times and therefore many include racist language and depictions. The transcriptions and metadata associated with each cartoon is described as is for the purpose of providing the easiest access to the collection and does in no way reflect the views of Wilkes University or its archive department.
The first series contains cartoons from Puck magazine. Its materials are pages and covers from the magazine including the fronts and backs of the pages. The artists that are included are Frederick Burr Opper, Frederich Graetz, Bernhard Gillam, J.S. Pughe, James Albert Wales, and Samuel Ehrhart.
The second series contains cartoons from Judge magazine. The materials are pages and covers from the magazine and include both the fronts and backs of the pages. The artists that are included are Thomas Worth, Bernhard Gillam, Victor Gillam, and Grant E. Hamilton.
The third series contains cartoons, caricatures, and portraits from Vanity Fair (British, 1868-1914) and Vanity Fair (American, 1913-1936) magazines. The materials for the British magazine include the one-sided caricatures and cartoons featured in the publication. The material for the American magazine contains a portrait on the front and a table of contents on the back of the page. The artists that are included are Carlo Pellegrini (Ape/Singe), James Tissot (Coïdé), Thomas Nast, Leslie Ward (Spy), and William Henry Cotton.
The fourth series contains cartoons from Harper’s Weekly magazine. The materials include the front and back side of pages from the magazine. The artists that are included are William L. Sheppard, Charles G. Bush, Thomas Nast, and A.B. Frost.
The fifth series contains cartoons, caricatures, and illustrations from various magazines and publications. The artists and their publications include Théophile Steinlin, from Gil Blas, Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier (Paul Gavarni), from Le Gens de Paris, Thomas Rowlandson, William Summers, from Tregear’s Black Jokes, Charles Williams, William Elmes, George Cruikshank, Isaac Robert Cruikshank, Jules Joseph Georges Renard (Draner), Charles Robinson, from The Illustrated London News, Thomas Worth, Richard F. Outcault, from the New York Herald, Helen E. Hokinson, from The New Yorker, Charles Amédée de Noé (Cham), from Le Charivari, Sydney B. Griffin, from Truth, Oscar Cesare, from The Sun, and William Bruns.
There are a wide variety of themes and events covered in the cartoons and illustrations throughout the collection. There are numerous presidential elections covered including the elections of 1806, 1880, 1884, 1888, 1892, and 1900. The 43rd and 54th Congresses are both represented within cartoons in the series. Other events that are shown in cartoons in the collection are the Chicago World’s Fair/World’s Columbian Exposition, the Spanish-American War, Reconstruction, and the Kansas Exodus. There are also many representations of the Democratic, Republican, Greenback, and Citizens parties as well as Tammany Hall. Other themes included are immigration, Jewish communities, social ambition, weather problems, voting rights, the gold standard vs. free silver debate, diseases, family roles, plantations, white supremacy groups, Communism, financial issues, militaries, pic-nic societies, King George IV’s court, political corruption, and social events and issues. A large number of the cartoons included in the collections are products of their times and therefore many include racist language and depictions. The transcriptions and metadata associated with each cartoon is described as is for the purpose of providing the easiest access to the collection and does in no way reflect the views of Wilkes University or its archive department.
Dates
- 1802-1950
Access:
Anyone may access these political cartoons.
Extent
From the Collection: 1 boxes
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Subseries V: Other prints, 1802-1950
Subseries V: Other prints, 1802-1950, is arranged chronologically by date and contains prints and cartoons from a variety of artists and publications from 1802-1950. The subseries contains 14 different prints and cartoons that could not be categorized any further. There are some prints that did not include an exact date and are listed at the end of the subseries. There are prints from publications and magazines like S.W. Fores, J. Sidebotham, The Illustrated London News, Currier & Ives, The New York Herald, The New Yorker, Truth, and The Sun. The themes that appear in this sub-series are pic-nic societies, plantation owners, the Caribbean, “Jonkanoo,” life in England, military, Reconstruction, the Kansas Exodus, mining, westward expansion, social activities, wealthy women, King George IV’s court, Black firefighters, Tammany Hall, the 1888 election, the 1892 election, and political corruption. Many cartoons in this sub-series include racist and caricatured drawings of Black men and women. Also in this sub-series is a cartoon titled “The Meeting of Doodle and Noodle,” that does not include an artist signature, but has been published by J. Sidebotham and possible illustrators include George Cruikshank(1792-1878), Thomas Howell Jones (active 1823-1848), and Charles Williams (d. 1830).
The artists featured in this sub-series are:
Charles Williams (d. 1830), an English caricature artist and illustrator who was the chief caricaturist for S.W. Fores publishing from 1799-1815. Some of his work is published under the pseudonym “Ansell” and “Argus.” He illustrated for many books and worked alongside George Cruikshank on book illustrations. A theme that is in his cartoon in this sub-series is the pic-nic society. His work that appears in this sub-series is “The New and Elegant St. Giles’s Cage.”
William Elmes (active 1811-1820), an English caricature artist who focused on creating political satires. Some of his work is centered on navies, but he is most known for his cartoons on slavery. Most of his work contains racist caricatures and subjects. He also created caricatures on prints from Thomas Rowlandson and James Gillray. The themes that appear in his work in this sub-series are plantation owners, the Caribbean, and “Jonkanoo.” His work that is included in this sub-series is “Adventures of Johnny Newcome.”
George Cruikshank (1792-1878), a British caricature and illustrator for authors like Charles Dickens. At a young age, he became the apprentice of his father, Isaac Cruikshank (bapt. 1764-1811), who was an already notorious caricature artist. He is also the brother of Isaac Robert Cruikshank (1789-1856). He followed in his father’s footsteps of working on caricatures until his 30s when he started doing book illustrations. During his career he did a numerous number of political satires, many being now labeled as some of the most racist cartoons of his time. He also worked on anti-smoking and alcohol advertisements and posters later in his career. The themes that appear in his cartoon in this sub-series are related to the events in the King’s court during George IV’s reign, especially the Keeper of the Privy Purse . His work included in this sub-series is “Rumping–Kicking and Kissing.”
Isaac Robert Cruikshank (1789-1856), a British cartoonist and illustrator who is credited with being one of the first artists to use speech bubbles in cartoons. Before starting his career in cartoons, he was a part of the Royal Navy, but was left by his captain. A lot of his well known work is collaborations with his brother, George Cruikshank. They illustrated many books together and published books of their works. He is also the son of Isaac Cruikshank. The theme of his work in this sub-series is life in England. His work that appears in this series is “Going to Hobbyfair.”
Jules Joseph Georges Renard(Draner) (1833-1926), a Belgian painter and illustrator who used “Draner,” an anagram of his last name, to sign his work. He worked as a secretary for a while before teaching himself to draw, and then began working on caricatures. He started working for smaller local newspapers drawing caricatures and cartoons. He moved to Paris and began drawing military related caricatures, often drawing himself in different nationalities and military ranks. He started working as an illustrator for Le Charivari, and published works in other satirical magazines. He later worked on costume designs for theaters. The theme that appears in his work in this sub-series is military. The illustration that is included in this sub-series is “États Unis D'Amérique.”
Charles Robinson (1870-1937), a British illustrator, was the son of an illustrator, and had two brothers, Thomas Heath Robinson (1869-1954) and William Heath Robinson (1872-1944), who were also illustrators. He began working as a printer while studying art, but was unable to afford attending art school. He continued studying art in any way he could and started illustrating for books. He mostly illustrated children’s books and fairy tales. Through his career he illustrated a large number of books, produced many paintings, and did some work for magazines such as The Illustrated London News. The themes that appear in his work in this sub-series are Reconstruction, the Kansas Exodus, mining, and westward expansion. His work that is included is “Sketches in the American Far West.”
Thomas Worth (1839-1917), an American illustrator cartoonist who had originally worked for a well known publishing company, Currier and Ives, drawing lithographs. The company published many political cartoons drawn by Worth. Harper & Bros. publishing company used some of his work for an edition of a Charles Dickens’ novel they were publishing. He also contributed to magazines such as Harper’s Weekly and Judge. His work also appears in many Currier and Ives publications, which he is most known for. He drew many racist stereotypes in his cartoons in both Currier and Ives publications and in his work for Judge. The themes covered by his work in this series are social classes and activities. One of his cartoons is included in this series and is titled, “The Yachting Season.” Peters, Harry Twyford. Currier & Ives, Printmakers to the American People. New York: Arno Press, 1976.
Richard F. Outcault (1863-1928), an American cartoonist and is credited with helping popularize the modern comic strip. He went to design school and began doing commercial art early in his career. He did more technical art for some magazines before beginning to contribute satire pieces to Truth, Puck, Judge, and Life. He was hired full time by the New York World where he created one of his well known characters which aided in popularizing comic strips. Later, he worked for other magazines such as the New York Herald, the New York Evening Journal, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The theme that appears in his work in this sub-series is Black firefighters. His work that is included is “Why the Cottonville Fire Department is Using Cows Now.”
Helen E. Hokinson (1893-1949), an American cartoonist who contributed 68 cover pages for The New Yorker and thousands of cartoons. She studied art in Chicago and started her work doing fashion illustrations for department stores. She began submitting cartoons she drew to different magazines and got hired by The New Yorker. She was known to draw ditsy and wealthy women she called, “My Best Girls.” She and a partner contributed regular cartoons to the Ladies’ Home Journal. After her death, The New Yorker continued publishing cartoons that she had left behind. The theme that appears in her work in this sub-series is her typical wealthy women. Her work that is included is untitled since it is the cover page, but has been titled “Fortune Teller” because of its content.
Charles Amédée de Noé(Cham) (1818-1879), a French caricature artist who signed his work with the pseudonym “Cham.” He attended painting workshops at a young age, but eventually found himself to be more interested in cartoons. He published a book including his illustrations which got him noticed by newspapers. He was hired by Le Charivari and worked there for thirty years. He also wrote comedy and satire plays later in his life. He was known more specifically for the racist way he portrayed Black women in his cartoons. This theme appears in his work in this sub-series as well as his common theme of mocking people’s reactions to their criticisms in Le Charivari. His work that is included in this sub-series is “Actualitiés.”
Sydney B. Griffin (1854-1923), an American cartoonist who had originally been rejected from Puck in 1888. After his rejection, he applied to Judge and was hired to write poems and he also drew a few cartoons. A few years later he was hired by Puck where he continued drawing cartoons. His work also appeared in Truth and the New York World. Many of his cartoons did have a racist theme to them like his cartoon in this sub-series. Other themes include Tammany Hall, the 1888 election, and the 1892 election. His work that is included in this sub-series is “On the Old Trail.”
Oscar Cesare (1883-1948), a Swedish caricature artist, illustrator, and painter who began his career illustrating books. He worked for numerous publications, some of which include the New York World, the New York Sun, Fortune, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. One of his achievements was getting the rare ability to see and draw Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. He commonly opposed World War I and called out political corruption in his work. The themes that appear in his work in this subs-series are political corruption and the Dominican Republic. His work that is included is “Rewarding a Deserving Democrat.”
William Bruns is a cartoonist who typically drew cartoons of Black people that were racist and caricatured. He had a series of cartoons on “Blackville,” which may have come from the town Blacville, South Carolina which had a large population of freed slaves following the Civil War. There is not much information on William Bruns aside from a few of his works. His work included in this sub-series is “Blackville Aesthetics at Croquet.”
William Summers is a cartoonist who drew all of the illustrations for Treagar’s Black Jokes. There is not much information known about Summers aside from his contributions to the racist and caricaturize collection. The themes and intentions of this cartoon series and his work are racist mockings of Black people in social situations. His works that appear in this sub-series are “The Portrait” and “The Card Party.”
William Elmes (active 1811-1820), an English caricature artist who focused on creating political satires. Some of his work is centered on navies, but he is most known for his cartoons on slavery. Most of his work contains racist caricatures and subjects. He also created caricatures on prints from Thomas Rowlandson and James Gillray. The themes that appear in his work in this sub-series are plantation owners, the Caribbean, and “Jonkanoo.” His work that is included in this sub-series is “Adventures of Johnny Newcome.”
George Cruikshank (1792-1878), a British caricature and illustrator for authors like Charles Dickens. At a young age, he became the apprentice of his father, Isaac Cruikshank (bapt. 1764-1811), who was an already notorious caricature artist. He is also the brother of Isaac Robert Cruikshank (1789-1856). He followed in his father’s footsteps of working on caricatures until his 30s when he started doing book illustrations. During his career he did a numerous number of political satires, many being now labeled as some of the most racist cartoons of his time. He also worked on anti-smoking and alcohol advertisements and posters later in his career. The themes that appear in his cartoon in this sub-series are related to the events in the King’s court during George IV’s reign, especially the Keeper of the Privy Purse . His work included in this sub-series is “Rumping–Kicking and Kissing.”
Isaac Robert Cruikshank (1789-1856), a British cartoonist and illustrator who is credited with being one of the first artists to use speech bubbles in cartoons. Before starting his career in cartoons, he was a part of the Royal Navy, but was left by his captain. A lot of his well known work is collaborations with his brother, George Cruikshank. They illustrated many books together and published books of their works. He is also the son of Isaac Cruikshank. The theme of his work in this sub-series is life in England. His work that appears in this series is “Going to Hobbyfair.”
Jules Joseph Georges Renard(Draner) (1833-1926), a Belgian painter and illustrator who used “Draner,” an anagram of his last name, to sign his work. He worked as a secretary for a while before teaching himself to draw, and then began working on caricatures. He started working for smaller local newspapers drawing caricatures and cartoons. He moved to Paris and began drawing military related caricatures, often drawing himself in different nationalities and military ranks. He started working as an illustrator for Le Charivari, and published works in other satirical magazines. He later worked on costume designs for theaters. The theme that appears in his work in this sub-series is military. The illustration that is included in this sub-series is “États Unis D'Amérique.”
Charles Robinson (1870-1937), a British illustrator, was the son of an illustrator, and had two brothers, Thomas Heath Robinson (1869-1954) and William Heath Robinson (1872-1944), who were also illustrators. He began working as a printer while studying art, but was unable to afford attending art school. He continued studying art in any way he could and started illustrating for books. He mostly illustrated children’s books and fairy tales. Through his career he illustrated a large number of books, produced many paintings, and did some work for magazines such as The Illustrated London News. The themes that appear in his work in this sub-series are Reconstruction, the Kansas Exodus, mining, and westward expansion. His work that is included is “Sketches in the American Far West.”
Thomas Worth (1839-1917), an American illustrator cartoonist who had originally worked for a well known publishing company, Currier and Ives, drawing lithographs. The company published many political cartoons drawn by Worth. Harper & Bros. publishing company used some of his work for an edition of a Charles Dickens’ novel they were publishing. He also contributed to magazines such as Harper’s Weekly and Judge. His work also appears in many Currier and Ives publications, which he is most known for. He drew many racist stereotypes in his cartoons in both Currier and Ives publications and in his work for Judge. The themes covered by his work in this series are social classes and activities. One of his cartoons is included in this series and is titled, “The Yachting Season.” Peters, Harry Twyford. Currier & Ives, Printmakers to the American People. New York: Arno Press, 1976.
Richard F. Outcault (1863-1928), an American cartoonist and is credited with helping popularize the modern comic strip. He went to design school and began doing commercial art early in his career. He did more technical art for some magazines before beginning to contribute satire pieces to Truth, Puck, Judge, and Life. He was hired full time by the New York World where he created one of his well known characters which aided in popularizing comic strips. Later, he worked for other magazines such as the New York Herald, the New York Evening Journal, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The theme that appears in his work in this sub-series is Black firefighters. His work that is included is “Why the Cottonville Fire Department is Using Cows Now.”
Helen E. Hokinson (1893-1949), an American cartoonist who contributed 68 cover pages for The New Yorker and thousands of cartoons. She studied art in Chicago and started her work doing fashion illustrations for department stores. She began submitting cartoons she drew to different magazines and got hired by The New Yorker. She was known to draw ditsy and wealthy women she called, “My Best Girls.” She and a partner contributed regular cartoons to the Ladies’ Home Journal. After her death, The New Yorker continued publishing cartoons that she had left behind. The theme that appears in her work in this sub-series is her typical wealthy women. Her work that is included is untitled since it is the cover page, but has been titled “Fortune Teller” because of its content.
Charles Amédée de Noé(Cham) (1818-1879), a French caricature artist who signed his work with the pseudonym “Cham.” He attended painting workshops at a young age, but eventually found himself to be more interested in cartoons. He published a book including his illustrations which got him noticed by newspapers. He was hired by Le Charivari and worked there for thirty years. He also wrote comedy and satire plays later in his life. He was known more specifically for the racist way he portrayed Black women in his cartoons. This theme appears in his work in this sub-series as well as his common theme of mocking people’s reactions to their criticisms in Le Charivari. His work that is included in this sub-series is “Actualitiés.”
Sydney B. Griffin (1854-1923), an American cartoonist who had originally been rejected from Puck in 1888. After his rejection, he applied to Judge and was hired to write poems and he also drew a few cartoons. A few years later he was hired by Puck where he continued drawing cartoons. His work also appeared in Truth and the New York World. Many of his cartoons did have a racist theme to them like his cartoon in this sub-series. Other themes include Tammany Hall, the 1888 election, and the 1892 election. His work that is included in this sub-series is “On the Old Trail.”
Oscar Cesare (1883-1948), a Swedish caricature artist, illustrator, and painter who began his career illustrating books. He worked for numerous publications, some of which include the New York World, the New York Sun, Fortune, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. One of his achievements was getting the rare ability to see and draw Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. He commonly opposed World War I and called out political corruption in his work. The themes that appear in his work in this subs-series are political corruption and the Dominican Republic. His work that is included is “Rewarding a Deserving Democrat.”
William Bruns is a cartoonist who typically drew cartoons of Black people that were racist and caricatured. He had a series of cartoons on “Blackville,” which may have come from the town Blacville, South Carolina which had a large population of freed slaves following the Civil War. There is not much information on William Bruns aside from a few of his works. His work included in this sub-series is “Blackville Aesthetics at Croquet.”
William Summers is a cartoonist who drew all of the illustrations for Treagar’s Black Jokes. There is not much information known about Summers aside from his contributions to the racist and caricaturize collection. The themes and intentions of this cartoon series and his work are racist mockings of Black people in social situations. His works that appear in this sub-series are “The Portrait” and “The Card Party.”
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu