Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Dobbins, James.
Title:	James Dobbins Cartoons
Inclusive Dates:	1952-1971
Quantity:	24 linear ft.
Abstract:	Original editorial cartoons, sketches and clippings.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

James J. Dobbins (1924-1994) was an American editorial cartoonist. He spent most of his career affiliated with Boston-area newspapers.

Born in Woburn, Massachusetts, Dobbins graduated from Woburn High School and attended Cornell College for a brief period before serving as a Navy flier during World War II, where he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, Dobbins attended Massachusetts College of Art, graduating in 1951. He landed his first newspaper job with the Woburn Daily Times while still in college (1947-1949). Dobbins continued at the Boston University Graduate School of Education and worked as an English teacher in the Boston School System before signing on with the Lowell (Mass.) Sun as an editorial cartoonist (1952-1953). In 1953, Dobbins took a short term, 4 ½ week assignment with the New York Daily News while that paper's esteemed cartoonist, C. D. Batchelor, was on an extended leave of absence. When Batchelor returned, Dobbins continued to produce the Sunday drawing for another several months.

Dobbins began what turned out to be a steady run with Boston-area newspapers in 1954, when he took up with the now defunct Boston Post (1954-1956). Subsequently, Dobbins spent sixteen years with the Boston Herald Traveler (1956-1972) and another five years with the Boston Herald-American (1972-1977) before finishing his distinguished newspaper career with the Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader. In his retirement, Dobbins continued to produce cartoons, regularly contributing to the monthly publication of the National Association of Government Employees. James Dobbins died May 5, 1994.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The James Dobbins Cartoons collection contains original editorial cartoons, sketches and clippings of cartoons. For

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Arrangement of the Collection

This collection is partially arranged—re-housing and complete inventory are pending.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has collections of over one hundred cartoonists. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Associated Titles

Subjects

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Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

James Dobbins Cartoons,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of James Dobbins, 1967-1972.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: BM
Date: Dec 1968
Revision history: 24 Feb 2009 - converted to EAD (MD); 18 May 2012 - added inventory (MRC); 8 May 2015 - Rt 128/Boston cartoons added, M15-040 (MRC)

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Inventory

	Editorial cartoons (1968 accession)
		Click here for an itemized list of dates present for each year in this accession.
Folder 1		1952
Folder 2		1953
Folder 3		1954, Jan-Jun 14
Folder 4		1954, Jun 15-Dec 31, undated 1954
Folder 5		1955
Folder 6		1956
Folder 7		1957, Jan-Jun
Folder 8		1957, Jul-Dec
Folder 9		1958, Jan-Jul
Folder 10		1958, Aug-Dec
Folder 11		1963
Folder 12		1964
Folder 13		1965, Jan-Jun
Folder 14		1965, Jul-Dec

	Published cartoons (1978 accession)
Box 1		Published cartoons

	Original artwork (1978 accession)
Oversize 1		Cartoons 1959-1960
Oversize 2		Cartoons 1961-1965
Oversize 3		Cartoons 1966-1967
Oversize 4		Cartoons 1967
Oversize 5		Cartoons 1968
Oversize 6		Cartoons 1969
Oversize 7		Cartoons 1970
Oversize 8		Cartoons 1971
Oversize 9		Cartoons with rough sketches 1967-1970
Box 1		Sketches

	Original artwork, later accessions
Map-Case 100		Cartoons 1956-1957 - eight editorial cartoons by James Dobbins pertaining to the connecting highway between Route 128 and Boston

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