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Bruce Russell Cartoons

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University

Finding aid created by: SM
Date: 08 Nov 2016

Revision history:

Biographical History

Bruce Alexander Russell (1903-1963) was a Pulitzer Prize winning American cartoonist who spent over 30 years at the Los Angeles Times.

Russell was born in Los Angeles on August 4, 1903, the son of Alexander and Flora (Saunders) Russell. In 1921 Russell graduated from Los Angeles Polytechnic High School and in 1926 he received a degree from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he had drawn cartoons for the university newspaper, The Daily Bruin, and for The California Grizzly. Russell began his professional career at the Los Angeles Evening Herald. His early work appeared in various national publications, among them College Humor and Collier's, as well as in The California Pelican, published in Berkeley. In 1927 Russell joined the Los Angeles Times art staff as a sports and theater cartoonist and also sketched for the paper's illustrated magazine. During this period he created the popular Associated Press comic strip Rollo Rollingstone, which ran from 1930 to 1933. In 1934 Russell became the editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times, a position he retained until his death nearly thirty years later when he was replaced by Paul Conrad.

Russell won a Pulitzer Prize in 1946 for his cartoon "Time to Bridge That Gulch" that was published on November 30, 1945 and depicted the gap between the United States and Russia. Sigma Delta Chi presented him with the Distinguished Service Award in 1948, 1950 and 1951. He also received the Headliners' Award for editorial cartoons in 1949, and from 1949 to 1962 his work was annually recognized by the Freedoms Foundation award. His other honors include the Christopher Award (1953) and an award from the U.S. Treasury (1960 or 1958?). At UCLA, Russell was named the Edward A. Dickson Alumnus of the year in 1951. Russell was a member of the National Cartoonists Society and the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

On December 18, 1963 Bruce Russell died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Bruce Russell Cartoons consist of nine original cartoon drawings and one newspaper clipping of one of the cartoons.

Arrangement of the Collection

Drawings remain in original order.

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

For additional material related to Bruce Russell, see the Bruce Russell Papers

Subject Headings

Persons

Russell, Bruce, 1903-1963.

Corporate Bodies

Los Angeles Times (Firm)

Subjects

American wit and humor, Pictorial.
Caricatures and cartoons -- United States.
Cartoonists -- United States.
Comic books, strips, etc.
Editorial cartoons -- California -- Los Angeles.
Editorial cartoons -- United States.
World politics -- 20th century -- Caricatures and cartoons.

Places

United States -- Politics and government -- 20th century -- Caricatures and cartoons.

Genres and Forms

Cartoons (humorous images)
Clippings (information artifacts)
Comic strips.
Editorial cartoons.
Illustrations.

Occupations

Cartoonists.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Bruce Russell Cartoons,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of John P. Cassidy, 2016

Table of Contents

Artwork

Inventory