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Charles Allen Cartoons

An inventory of his cartoons at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: RMH
Date: 4 Oct 2023

Biographical History

Charles Allen (1921-1999) was a Black cartoonist and teacher working in New York City during the 1940s through the 1960s.

Allen grew up in Americus, Georgia and was the youngest of nine children. Before 1935 the Allen family moved to New York City. He received an art degree and a B.S. degree in social science from the College of the City of New York. After college he joined the domestic branch of the Graphics Division of the Office of War Information (OWI). He left the OWI to draw the cartoon panel Tan Topics for Continental Features, which ran for several years after 1943 in the Atlanta World. The subject matter reflected topics of the day, like changing fashions and the meat shortages in America. He became the cartooning instructor at the School of Inustrial Art in Manhatten in 1955, which changed their name to the High School of Art and Design in 1960. His colleagues included Alvin Hollingsworth and Bernard Krigstein, and his students included Ralph Bakshi (1956), Neal Adams (1959), and Art Spiegelman (1965). His last year at the school was 1968. He eventually moved to San Ysidro, California, where he died in 1999.

Allen was awarded an art prize in 1941 when he attended the College of the City of New York, was mentioned in Best Cartoons of the Year in 1944 and 1947, and was a member of the Artists Guild and the American Society of Magazine Cartoonists. As well as Continental Features, Allen as drew for Collier's, Liberty, This Week, and others. [source: a profile on Allen]

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Charles Allen Cartoons consist of published comic strips, an etching of a boathouse, and sketches.

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is arranged in alphabetical order based on type.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advance 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.

Related Material

Several items unrelated to Charles Allen were removed.

Subject Headings

Persons

Allen, Charles

Subjects

African American cartoonists.
Cartoonists -- United States -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Genres and Forms

Cartoons (humorous images)
Comic strips.
Etchings (prints)
Sketches.

Occupations

Cartoonists.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Charles Allen Cartoons,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchased, 2023

Table of Contents

Artwork

Inventory