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Syd Hoff Cartoons

An inventory of his cartoons at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: DB
Date: 15 Feb 1978

Biographical History

Syd Hoff (1912-2004) was an American humor cartoonist, illustrator and author.

Born September 4, 1912 in New York City, Hoff attended the National Academy of Design and sold his first cartoon to the New Yorker while still in his teens. He became known for his cartoons about tenement and lower-middle-class life in the big city, which ran in the New Yorker. One of his recurring characters, a walrus-mustached man in trousers and undershirt, eventually appeared as the father in a daily strip called Tuffy, done for King Features Syndicate from 1940 to 1950. In 1957 Hoff began a new daily cartoon for King Features titled Laugh It Off which he continued until 1971.

His cartoons have appeared in theNew Yorker, Esquire, Look, and other magazines, and he has written and illustrated several children's books including Danny and the Dinosaur. In 1976 he edited and published Editorial and political cartooning: from earliest times to the present, which contains over 700 examples from the works of the world's greatest cartoonists.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Syd Hoff Cartoons consists of original cartoon drawings subdivided by the magazine in which they were published; within each magazine title cartoons are arranged chronologically.

Arrangement of the Collection

Cartoons are arranged alphabetically by the name of the publication in which they appeared (or in the case of Laugh It Off, the publishing organization).

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.

Related Material

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

Subject Headings

Persons

Hoff, Syd, 1912-2004.

Associated Titles

Laugh it off (comic strip)

Subjects

American wit and humor, Pictorial.
Caricatures and cartoons -- United States.
Cartoonists -- United States.

Genres and Forms

Cartoons (humorous images)

Occupations

Cartoonists.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Syd Hoff Cartoons
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Syd Hoff, 1966, 1968-1970.

Table of Contents

Cartoons

Inventory