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Harold Talburt Cartoons

An inventory of his cartoons at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Talburt, Harold M., 1895-1966
Title: Harold Talburt Cartoons
Inclusive Dates: 1949-1962
Bulk Dates: 1949-1952
Quantity: 5.25 linear ft.
Abstract: Approximately 850 original editorial cartoons by the Pulitzer Prize-winning American editorial cartoonist.
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

Harold M. Talburt (1895-1966) was an American editorial cartoonist who won a Pulitzer Prize.

Harold Talburt was born in Toledo, Ohio on February 19, 1895. Before becoming a cartoonist, Talburt worked as the high school correspondent for the Toledo Times and in 1916 was a reporter at the Toledo News-Bee. In 1921, Talburt was hired by Negley Cochran as the cartoonist for the newly opened Scripps-Howard news bureau in Washington and was later named Chief Washington Cartoonist for Scripps-Howard and the Washington Daily News. In his New York Times obituary, Talburt is noted as having enjoyed drawing Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt the most out of the presidents he covered during his career.

Talburt was a member of the National Press Club and the White House Correspondents Association. He was president of the Gridiron Club in 1947. The Pulitzer Prize was awarded to Talburt for his 1933 Washington Daily News cartoon, "The Light of Asia". Talburt’s work was published in two books: Talburt (1943) and Cartoons: Largely Political (circa 1943).

Harold M. Talburt retired in 1963. He died of cancer at his home in Kenwood, Maryland on October 22, 1966.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Harold Talburt Cartoons contain 858 original editorial cartoons from the years 1949-1952 and 1962.

Talburt primarily depicted domestic politics especially issues related to taxes and government spending. His portrayals of President Harry Truman often include Truman with a shirt with the words “tax" and "spend" on it. Talburt also devoted many cartoons to Truman’s scandals with a recurring visual motif labeled “the mess". Other recurring characters include Fiddle and Faddle, a pair of nearly identical figures with grinning faces and two prominent front teeth.

Also of interest is Talburt’s work depicting communism in Hawaii, reorganization of the government under Truman, mobilization for the Korean War and cartoons relating to the imprisonment of journalist William Oatis in Czechoslovakia.

Artwork varies in size, although most cartoons are generally 12"x 14" to 14 ½" x 17". The earlier cartoons in this collection were drawn exclusively in crayon and pencil on illustration board while later cartoons show his addition of ink. Captions appear at the top and dates are noted in pencil.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Cartoons are arranged in chronological order.

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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

Acheson, Dean, 1893-1971 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Khrushchev, Nikita Sergeevich, 1894-1971 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Oatis, William Nathan, 1914-1997 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Talburt, Harold M., 1895-1966.
Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972 -- Caricatures and cartoons.

Corporate Bodies

Democratic Party (U.S.) -- Caricatures and cartoons.
E.W. Scripps Company.
Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) -- Caricatures and cartoons.
United Nations -- Caricatures and cartoons.
United States. Congress. -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Washington daily news publishing company.

Subjects

Agriculture and state -- Caricatures and cartoons.
American wit and humor, Pictorial.
Caricatures and cartoons -- United States.
Cartoonists -- United States.
Cold War -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Communism -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Editorial cartoons -- United States.
Elections -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Expenditures, Public -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Pulitzer Prizes.
Taxation -- Caricatures and cartoons.
World politics -- 1955-1965 -- Caricatures and cartoons.

Places

United States -- Politics and government -- 1945-1989 -- Caricatures and cartoons.

Genres and Forms

Cartoons (humorous images)
Editorial cartoons.

Occupations

Cartoonists.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Harold Talburt Cartoons,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Gene Basset, 1971.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MD
Date: 23 Oct 2008
Revision history: 23 Oct 2008 - converted to EAD (MD); 27 May 2010 - added bio, scope and inventory (SK)

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Inventory

Cartoons (850 items)
Click here for a detailed inventory.
See below for an index to the cartoons.
Oversize 1, Folder 1 Jan 1949, Apr 1949
Oversize 1, Folder 2 May 1949
Oversize 1, Folder 3 Jun 1949
Oversize 1, Folder 4 Jul 1949
Oversize 1, Folder 5 Aug 1949
Oversize 1, Folder 6 Sep 1949
Oversize 1, Folder 7 Oct 1949
Oversize 1, Folder 8 Nov 1949
Oversize 1, Folder 9 Dec 1949
Oversize 1, Folder 10 Dec 1949
Oversize 2, Folder 1 Jan 1950
Oversize 2, Folder 2 Feb 1950
Oversize 2, Folder 3 Mar 1950
Oversize 2, Folder 4 Mar 1950
Oversize 2, Folder 5 Apr 1950
Oversize 2, Folder 6 May 1950
Oversize 2, Folder 7 Jun 1950
Oversize 3, Folder 1 Jul 1950
Oversize 3, Folder 2 Jul 1950
Oversize 3, Folder 3 Aug 1950
Oversize 3, Folder 4 Sep 1950
Oversize 3, Folder 5 Nov-Dec 1950
Oversize 3, Folder 6 Jan 1951, Jun 1951
Oversize 3, Folder 7 Jul 1951
Oversize 3, Folder 8 Aug 1951
Oversize 3, Folder 9 Aug 1951
Oversize 3, Folder 10 Sep 1951
Oversize 4, Folder 1 Oct 1951
Oversize 4, Folder 2 Nov 1951
Oversize 4, Folder 3 Dec 1951
Oversize 4, Folder 4 Dec 1951
Oversize 4, Folder 5 Jan 1952
Oversize 4, Folder 6 Jan 1952
Oversize 4, Folder 7 Feb 1952
Oversize 4, Folder 8 Mar 1952
Oversize 4, Folder 9 Apr 1952
Oversize 5, Folder 1 May 1952
Oversize 5, Folder 2 Jun 1952
Oversize 5, Folder 3 Jul 1952
Oversize 5, Folder 4 Jul 1952
Oversize 5, Folder 5 Aug 1952
Oversize 5, Folder 6 Aug 1952
Oversize 5, Folder 7 Sep 1952
Oversize 5, Folder 8 Sep 1952
Oversize 6, Folder 1 Oct 1952
Oversize 6, Folder 2 Oct 1952
Oversize 6, Folder 3 Nov 1952
Oversize 6, Folder 4 Dec 1952
Oversize 6, Folder 5 Jan 1962
Oversize 6, Folder 6 Jan 1962
Oversize 6, Folder 7 Feb 1962
Oversize 6, Folder 8 Mar 1962
Oversize 6, Folder 9 Apr 1962
Oversize 7, Folder 1 May 1962
Oversize 7, Folder 2 May 1962
Oversize 7, Folder 3 Jun 1962
Oversize 7, Folder 4 Jul-Aug 1962
Oversize 7, Folder 5 Sep 1962
Oversize 7, Folder 6 Oct 1962
Oversize 7, Folder 7 Oct 1962
Oversize 7, Folder 8 Nov 1962
Oversize 7, Folder 9 Dec 1962

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Index to cartoons

The following is a list of predominant people, places and subjects appearing in the editorial cartoons in this collection. The list is not exhaustive. Some subjects may require you to browse with alternative terms.

B= Box, F= Folder. For example: B1F1= Box 1 Folder 1.

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