Herblock Papers Given to Library of Congress

Herblock Papers Given to LOC
Archive of 14,000 Cartoons And Sketches Spans 70 Years
By Linton Weeks - Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 11, 2003; Page C01

The archives of Herbert L. Block, The Washington Post's prickly-penned editorial cartoonist for more than half a century, are being donated to the Library of Congress. Cartoons promoting civil rights issues, lambasting lobbyists and poking fun at politicians are part of 14,000 original sketches and drawings in the archives of Herblock, as he was known. The late cartoonist's philanthropic foundation will announce the gift today.

"What stands out with Herblock," says Harry L. Katz, head curator of the library's prints and photographs division, "is the consistency of his vision -- the clarity of expression in terms of his ideas and message, but of his drawing as well."

Herblock possessed a "blunt and spare style in both his images and his words," Katz says. "They are right on the mark."

An exhibition showcasing some of the drawings, "Herblock's Gift: The Herb Block Foundation Collection," will open at the library tomorrow and run through June 28. The display features annotated drawings from Herblock's artistic career of more than 70 years. One cartoon from February 2001, lampooning President Bush's faith-based initiatives, shows a couple walking past the White House. It has been retrofitted with a church steeple. The man, who is reading about Bush guiding federal funds toward religious groups, says to the woman: "He thought it would be a nice addition."

Herblock's last cartoon, penned in August 2001, two months before his death at age 91, satirizes Bush's foreign policy.

The archives also include correspondence and photographs, plus thousands of unpublished sketches. The cartoonist, who worked at The Post for nearly 55 years, had discussions with the library over several decades about donating his work, and in October 2000 he gave the library 121 cartoons.

Jean J. Rickard, executive director of the Herb Block Foundation and the cartoonist's longtime assistant, says he "had chosen the Library of Congress because he felt it would be open to so many people -- not just historians and scholars, but to everyone. And the work would be there for generations to come."

Katz says the library "will need to do a lot of work over the next few years to organize and catalogue the collection and preserve it and to make it available to researchers."

The library plans to scan every drawing, he says, and make the collection available on the Internet. "That's what Herb really wanted us to do," Katz says. "He was incredibly passionate about his profession and he was passionate and protective of his drawings.

"For decades, he kept the drawings out of the public eye," he adds. "The way he worked was largely kept hidden. He was a very private man."

Over the years, Block won three Pulitzer Prizes for editorial cartooning -- in 1942, 1954 and 1979 -- and he shared one with Post colleagues in 1973 for public service during the Watergate scandal.

He was a champion of the underdog, known for drawing images such as fat, cigar-smoking lobbyists and an embattled or embittered Richard Nixon. In one cartoon from March 1953, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who had just died, is being warmly greeted by the Grim Reaper: "You were always a great friend of mine, Joseph."

"It's a huge deal for the library," Katz says. "Herblock, in my estimation, is the greatest political cartoonist in our history."

© 2003 The Washington Post Company