ink, crayon and whiteout on heavy paper; 15 x 19", illustration block 13 x 15"; copyright NEA (Newspaper Enterprise Association). Inscribed lower left: To C.R. Klessig with Sincere Regards of Herb Block. Cartoon depicts the Democratic donkey in a "Franklin" stove, the top of which is the Capitol. Behind the stove is a coal bucket full of bills, "Debate" on the side. A Republican elephant finds the entire scene amusing and asks: Is it Hot Enough For You? The scene should be familiar today. It probably refers to the economic pressure put on FDR shortly after election to his second term. The banking system had been rescued, the economy started growing the previous three years, and the pressure was on to cut government spending and balance the budget. The cuts resulted in extending the Depression, and some think creating a recession within it. Whether the current path is the right road or not only history will tell. But the parallels in the political landscape, if not the economic one, cannot be denied. In the world of editorial cartooning, Herbert Lawrence Block (1909-2001) belonged to the twentieth century, and, many would say, it belonged to him. His first cartoon appeared in the Chicago Daily News in 1929, when he was just 20 years of age. The next decade found him in Cleveland, where he drew for syndication at the NEA. As the decade progressed, the political views of Block and the NEA diverged, and they shrank his cartoons, apparently waiting for his contact to expire. His Pulitzer in 1942 ("British Plane") seems to have changed that attitude. Block served in WWII, and on his return, in 1946 he was offered a job at the Washington Post, where he remained for the rest of his career. He won additional Pulitzers in 1954 and 1979. Among his favorite subjects (some would say "targets") were Communism and Soviet aggression (his second Pulitzer addressed Stalin's policies); isolationism; and political excesses and abuses. He was one of the few to attack McCarthy, as many others who tried found themselves on the "outside." He coined the term "McCarthyism." Block was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton in 1994 (Johnson refused to give it to him), and many more honors through his 70+ year career. He died in 2001, a week before his 92nd birthday. Condition: Minor foxing starting, else fine.
ink, crayon and whiteout on heavy paper; 15 x 19", illustration block 13 x 15"; copyright NEA (Newspaper Enterprise Association). Inscribed lower left: To C.R. Klessig with Sincere Regards of Herb Block. Cartoon depicts the Democratic donkey in a "Franklin" stove, the top of which is the Capitol. Behind the stove is a coal bucket full of bills, "Debate" on the side. A Republican elephant finds the entire scene amusing and asks: Is it Hot Enough For You? The scene should be familiar today. It probably refers to the economic pressure put on FDR shortly after election to his second term. The banking system had been rescued, the economy started growing the previous three years, and the pressure was on to cut government spending and balance the budget. The cuts resulted in extending the Depression, and some think creating a recession within it. Whether the current path is the right road or not only history will tell. But the parallels in the political landscape, if not the economic one, cannot be denied. In the world of editorial cartooning, Herbert Lawrence Block (1909-2001) belonged to the twentieth century, and, many would say, it belonged to him. His first cartoon appeared in the Chicago Daily News in 1929, when he was just 20 years of age. The next decade found him in Cleveland, where he drew for syndication at the NEA. As the decade progressed, the political views of Block and the NEA diverged, and they shrank his cartoons, apparently waiting for his contact to expire. His Pulitzer in 1942 ("British Plane") seems to have changed that attitude. Block served in WWII, and on his return, in 1946 he was offered a job at the Washington Post, where he remained for the rest of his career. He won additional Pulitzers in 1954 and 1979. Among his favorite subjects (some would say "targets") were Communism and Soviet aggression (his second Pulitzer addressed Stalin's policies); isolationism; and political excesses and abuses. He was one of the few to attack McCarthy, as many others who tried found themselves on the "outside." He coined the term "McCarthyism." Block was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton in 1994 (Johnson refused to give it to him), and many more honors through his 70+ year career. He died in 2001, a week before his 92nd birthday. Condition: Minor foxing starting, else fine.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
