Call Number:

MC.836

Repository:

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections

Extent:

2 linear ft. (5 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Douglas Borgstedt cartoons, 1965-1982 (HC.MC 836), Quaker & Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA.

Date:

1965-1982 (inclusive)

Creator:

Borgstedt, Douglas, 1911-2001

Form:

drawings (visual works)

Abstract:

Political cartoons by Douglas Borgstadt, 1965-1982, concerning the United States and world politics of the late 1960's and 1970's. Major themes include communism, diplomacy, war, and government corruption or ineptitude. Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and Henry Kissinger are frequently featured.

Douglas Borgstedt (1911-2001) was a prominent cartoon artist who attended Haverford College from 1929 to 1931. From 1940 to 1942 he served as the cartoon editor for the "Saturday Evening Post." He later served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945, where he became the first feature editor of "Yank" magazine and was also awarded the Bronze Star and the Legion of Merit. After his army service, Borgsted returned to the "Saturday Evening Post" as the photography editor until 1963, at which point he became an editorial cartoonist for King Features Syndicate, the Copley News Service, and the "Philadelphia Evening and Sunday Bulletin." His cartoons have been featured in more than 90 newspapers, as well as magazines such as "New Yorker," "Esquire," "Colliers," and "Look," and have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.

Biographical information from "Who's Who in America, 1980-1981." Obituary in the "Philadelphia Inquirer," Feb. 9, 2001.

There are approximately 280 cartoons, dated between 1965 and 1982, in this collection. The drawings are in ink, with perhaps some pencil, on cardstock, with some collage techniques used when patterned material has been layered over the drawing. Many cartoons have been mounted onto red cardboard; in a few cases the original cardboard has been trimmed to fit into manuscript boxes. Many have dates on the reverse, but most are only month/day. Captions are constructed from printed letters that have been individually cut and pasted together to form words. Some cartoons are also marked with an indication of where they were published or distributed: the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Bulletin, King Features Syndicate, Inc., or Copley News Service.

Common themes throughout the collection include world and U.S. politics, world leaders, communism, war, diplomacy, democracy, dictatorship, government corruption, and terrorism. There are particularly large collections featuring Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, and Richard Nixon.

This collection is arranged alphabetically by the subject area of each cartoon. The subjects begin at Africa and end at Vietnam.