Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Freyse, Bill
Title:	Bill Freyse Cartoons
Inclusive Dates:	1960-1968
Quantity:	5 linear ft.
Abstract:	Original cartoons, all but one from the comic strip Our Boarding House.
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

Bill Freyse (1898-1969) was an American cartoonist. His tenure on the established comic strip, Our Boarding House, ran from 1939 to 1969.

Born and raised in Detroit, Freyse began his newspaper career at a young age, working first as an editorial cartoonist for the Detroit Journal, then later as a staff artist for the Detroit Times. In 1939, Freyse signed on with NEA to continue Gene Ahern's immensely popular Our Boarding House comic strip starring Major Hoople. Ahern had left the strip a few years earlier, in 1936, to launch a knock-off version for King Features Syndicate, Room and Board starring Judge Puffle (Wood Cowan, Bela "Bill" Zaboly and others filled-in on Our Boarding House during the interim). Freyse's tenure on the strip was notable for the success with which he was able to maintain Ahern's identifiable artistic style while adding his own exceptional comic talents. Bill Freyse worked on Our Boarding House until his death in 1969. The strip continued with various artists until 1981.

Return to top

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Bill Freyse Cartoons collection contains original daily cartoons and 90 original Sunday cartoons from the comic strip Our Boarding House (1966-1967), and one item from an unidentified cartoon. Daily cartoons: blue pencil, pen and ink on illustration board, approx. 11 ½ x 13 ½ in. Sunday cartoons: blue pencil, pen and ink on illustration board, approx. 18 x 26 in.

Return to top

Arrangement of the Collection

Daily and Sunday strips are housed separately in chronological order.

Return to top

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.

Return to top

Related Material

See also the Wood Cowan Papers for additional material related to the Our Boarding House comic strip. Special Collections Research Center has collections of over one hundred additional cartoonists. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.

Return to top

Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Associated Titles

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

Return to top

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Bill Freyse Cartoons,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Newspaper Enterprise Association, Inc., 1967-1969.

Unidentified cartoon, gift of Mary Sasaki, 2018.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: EF
Date: 29 May 1968
Revision history: 23 Sept 1970 - inventory updated (MB); 9 Dec 2008 - converted to EAD (MD); 26 Jan 2009 - revised (MD); 7 Jul 2017 - cartoons from 1968 added (MS); 22 Jan 2018 - Mary Sasaki donation added (MRC)

Return to top

Inventory

	Our Boarding House cartoons
		Click here for detailed inventory.
		Daily cartoons
Box 1			Daily cartoons Mar 1966 - Sep 1966 (158 items)
Box 2			Daily cartoons Oct 1966 - Apr 1967 (167 items)
Box 3			Daily cartoons May 1967 - Dec 1967 (166 items)
Box 4			Daily cartoons Jan 1968 - Jun 1968
Box 5			Daily cartoons Jul 1968 - Dec 1968
		Sunday cartoons
Oversize 1			Sunday cartoons Jan 1966 - Dec 1967 (90 items)
Oversize 2			Sunday cartoons 1968

	Miscellaneous cartoons
Box 5		"One order of revenge coming up" 18 Apr 1960
			Gift of Mary Sasaki, 2018.

Return to top