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Gluyas Williams Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Williams, Gluyas, 1888-1982.
Title: Gluyas Williams Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1918-1950
Quantity: 1.0 linear ft.
Abstract: Papers of the American cartoonist, illustrator. Original book illustrations for books by Robert Benchley, Edward Streeter, William Freeman, and Corey Ford, magazine cartoons for Cosmopolitan, Life and The New Yorker, and newspaper cartoons (1922-1947); correspondence, 1918-1949, and manuscript of a poem about Williams by Kenneth Bird and prefaces to Fellow Citizens (1941) and The Gluyas Williams Book, both by Robert Benchley (1929). Correspondents include Randolph G. Adams, Robert Benchley, Kenneth Bird, Charles Dana Gibson, G.S. Lobrano, Christopher Morley, D. Nassau, H.W. Ross, Frank Sullivan, and K.S. White.
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

Gluyas Williams (1888-1982) was an American cartoonist. Born in San Francisco, California, he received his A.B. from Harvard University in 1911 and, in 1915, married Margaret Kempton.

Mr. William's drawings include book illustrations, magazine cartoons and daily newspaper cartoons. He has illustrated many of Robert Benchley's books, William Freeman's Hear! Hear!, Corey Ford's How to Guess Your Age and Edward Streeter's Father of the Bride. He has also done many drawings for magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Life, and the New Yorker, contributing to the latter his famous "Wedding Series". From 1922 to 1947, Williams drew daily newspaper cartoons that were published through the Bell Syndicate in various newspapers in the United States, England, Australia and other nations.

Williams is also the author of several books, including The Gluyas Williams Book, (1929); Fellow Citizens, (1940); and the Gluyas Williams Gallery, (1957).

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Gluyas Williams Papers consist of biographical material, correspondence, manuscripts, drawings, and published material.

Correspondence consists of thirty-two letters of incoming correspondence; senders include Robert Benchley, Charles Dana Gibson, and Christopher Morley.

Manuscripts are all by other authors. There is a poem written by Kenneth Bird (Fougasse) about Gluyas Williams for the Christian Science Monitor and prefaces by Robert Benchley for two of Williams' books, Fellow Citizens (1940) and The Gluyas Williams Book (1929).

Drawings contains book illustrations, magazine cartoons and newspaper cartoons. Most of the book illustrations were done for various Robert Benchley titles but there are also illustrations for books by three other authors. Magazine cartoons appeared in Cosmopolitan, Life, and the New Yorker. The newspaper cartoons were published through the Bell Syndicate from 1922 to 1947 in various newspapers in the United States, England, Australia, and elsewhere.

Published material consists of two of Gluyas Williams' books, Fellow Citizens (1940) and The Gluyas Williams Book, (1929). Both copies are autographed. These items have been transferred to Rare Books for cataloging.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by sender. Book illustrations are arranged alphabetically by book title; magazine cartoons chronologically by magazine; daily newspaper cartoons, alphabetically by caption.

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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

Two of Gluyas' books have been transferred to Rare Books for cataloging. Please refer to the Classic Catalog to locate these items.

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

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Subject Headings

Persons

Adams, Randolph G.
Benchley, Robert, 1889-1945.
Benchley, Robert, 1889-1945. -- Fellow Citizens.
Benchley, Robert, 1889-1945. -- Gluyas Williams Book.
Bird, Kenneth.
Ford, Corey.
Freeman, William.
Gibson, Charles Dana, 1867-1944.
Lobrano, G. S.
Morley, Christopher, 1890-1957.
Nassau, D.
Ross, Harold Wallace, 1892-1951.
Streeter, Edward, 1891-
Sullivan, Frank.
White, K. S.
Williams, Gluyas, 1888-1982.

Associated Titles

Cosmopolitan (New York, N.Y. : 1952)
Life (New York, N.Y.)
New Yorker (New York, N.Y. : 1925)

Subjects

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

Genres and Forms

Book illustrations.
Cartoons (humorous images)
Correspondence.
Manuscripts (document genre)

Occupations

Cartoonists.
Illustrators.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Gluyas Williams Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Gluyas Williams.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: -
Date: Jun 1967
Revision history: 14 Oct 2006 - converted to EAD (AMCon); 30 Sep 2008 - adds, xfers (MRC); 11 Nov 2009 - revisions (MRC)

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Inventory

Biographical material
Box 1 Biographical material
Correspondence
Incoming
Box 1 Adams, Randolph G. 1933
Box 1 Benchley, Robert 1934, 1937
Box 1 Bird, Kenneth, ("Fougasse" of Punch) 1925, 1936, 1944
Box 1 "Der Querschnitt" 1936
Box 1 Gibson, Charles Dana 1918, 1921, undated
Box 1 Lobrano, G.S. undated
Box 1 Morley, Christopher 1929-1930, undated
Box 1 Nassau, D. 1929
Box 1 Ross, H.W. 1929, 1934, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1948, undated
Box 1 Sullivan, Frank 1949
Box 1 White, K.S. 1935
Manuscripts
Box 1 Article about Gluyas Williams by Kenneth Bird ("Fougasse") for Christian Science Monitor
Box 1 Preface to Fellow Citizens, by Robert Benchley 1941
Box 1 Preface to The Gluyas Williams Book, by Robert Benchley 1929
Drawings
Book illustrations
Box 1 After 1903, What? by Robert Benchley 1938 (4 items)
Box 1 Benchley Roundup by Robert Benchley undated (2 items)
Box 1 Chips Off the Old Benchley by Robert Benchley undated (11 items)
Box 1 Father of the Bride by Edward Streeter undated (30 items)
Box 1 From Bed to Worse by Robert Benchley 1934 (7 items)
Box 1 Hear! Hear! by William Freeman undated (6 items)
Box 1 How to Guess Your Age by Corey Ford 1950 (18 items)
Box 1 My Ten Years in a Quandary by Robert Benchley 1932 (21 items)
Box 1 "No Poems" by Robert Benchley 1932 (17 items)
Box 1 The Treasurer's Report by Robert Benchley 1938 (4 items)
Magazine cartoons
Oversize 1 Cosmopolitan 1928, 1929 (8 items)
Oversize 1 Life circa 1926, 1927 (5 items)
The New Yorker
Box 2 "Industrial Crisis Series" 1928, 1929, 1933, undated (7 items)
Box 2 "The Inner Man Series" 1940
Box 2 "Raconteurs Series" 1938, 1939, undated - includes negative and print of one item (15 items)
Box 2 "The Reading Public Series" 1942, 1943, undated (6 items)
Box 2 "The Visiting Public Series" undated
Box 2 "The Wedding Series" June 5, 1948 - includes negative and print of one item (14 items)
Oversize 1 "The Wedding Series: Wedding Reception"
Box 2 Williams' first drawing for The New Yorker 1926
Box 2 "The Writing Public Series" 1945
Newspaper cartoons, daily, by caption
Box 2 B-N 1922-1947 (18 items)
Box 2 P-W 1922-1947 (18 items)
Box 2 Clipping circa 1970 - from London newspaper
Published material
Fellow Citizens, autographed 1940
Transferred to Rare Books for cataloging.
The Gluyas Williams Book, autographed 1929
Transferred to Rare Books for cataloging.

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