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John Tinney McCutcheon Cartoons

 Collection
Identifier: Prints and Drawings Series I

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The collection of John Tinney McCutcheon Cartoons, 1895-1946 includes 454 original drawings by McCutcheon, most of which appeared on the editorial page of the Chicago Tribune. Subjects of his cartoons include foreign affairs, national and local political issues, journalism and the press, as well as general themes such as baseball, poverty, auto accidents, etc. National and international issues dominate after the advent of World War I. Published volumes held by the McCormick Library which contain McCutcheon cartoons include: War Cartoons by McCutcheon, Orr, Parrish [and] Somdal, [Chicago, c1942]; Cartoons by McCutcheon; A Selection of One Hundred Drawings, (Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1903); The Cartoons That Made Prince Henry Famous; and printed in the Chicago Record-Herald, (Chicago, 1902?). See the Northwestern University Library online catalog for other books with McCutcheon illustrations, including those which were collaborations with George Ade.

Dates

  • 1895 - 1946

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on use of the materials in the department for research; all patrons must comply with federal copyright regulations.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for materials resides with John T. McCutcheon's executor. All users must comply with federal copyright regulations.

Extent

5.00 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

John Tinney McCutcheon (1870–1949) was a cartoonist on the staff of various Chicago newspapers, the Chicago Record (1889–1901), The Chicago Record-Herald (1901–1903), and the Chicago Tribune (1903–1946). He had an international reputation for his political cartoons and was awarded the Pulitzer prize for cartoons in 1931. This collection consists of 454 original drawings of McCutcheon's cartoons created between 1895 and 1946. Subjects of the cartoons include foreign affairs, national and local political issues, journalism and the press, as well as general themes such as baseball, poverty, auto accidents, etc. National and international issues dominate after the advent of World War I.

Arrangement Note

Dated materials have been arranged chronologically. The undated cartoons are arranged according to subjects and chronological eras

Inventory: Box 1: 1895-1915, 70 cartoons;         Box 2: 1916-1925, 64 cartoons;           Box 3: 1926-1932, 92 cartoons; Box 4: 1933-1946, 118 cartoons;    Box 5: uncatalogued, 59 cartoons; untitled, 51 cartoons.

Method of Acquisition

After the death of John T. McCutcheon, Mrs. McCutcheon distributed his archive of original cartoons among three institutions, Northwestern University Library and the Medill School of Journalism, the Chicago Historical Society, and the Newberry Library. All 454 drawings which were given to Northwestern University in 1956 are now held by the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections.

Separated Materials

Because John T. McCutcheon and Charles G. Dawes were such good friends, McCutcheon gave Dawes several original caricatures. These remain with the Charles G. Dawes archive in the McCormick Library and can be found listed in the Dawes guide. The Dawes archive also contains over two hundred letters from McCutcheon to Dawes as well as carbon copies of Dawes's letters to McCutcheon.

Processing Information

The McCutcheon cartoons were organized in 1982 by Steven Gish and Brian Davies; the original finding aid was prepared by Brian Davies. In 2003 Jeffrey Ellis organized the undated cartoons by subjects and chronological eras, and added an inventory of them to the finding aid.

Title
Guide to the John Tinney McCutcheon Cartoons
Author
Steven Gish and Brian Davies
Date
01/01/1982
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Library Details

Part of the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Drive
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635