The Library of Congress celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Political Cartoonist 'Herblock!'

Written by Donna Urschel Thursday, 17 September 2009 20:46

Washington, DC -  The Library of Congress celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of political cartoonist Herb Block, known to the world as Herblock, with an exhibition that looks at his entire 72-year career, which began in 1929 under President Herbert Hoover and concluded in 2001 during the presidency of George W. Bush. The exhibition, which features 82 original cartoon drawings selected from the Library’s Herb Block Collection, will illuminate Block the man, as well as his mastery of the art of the political cartoon.

From the stock market crash in 1929 through the new millennium beginning in the year 2000, editorial cartoonist Herb Block has chronicled the nation's political history, caricaturing twelve American presidents from Herbert Hoover to Bill Clinton. He has received three Pulitzer Prizes for editorial cartooning (1942, 1954, and 1979) and a fourth with Washington Post  colleagues for public service during the Watergate investigation (1973). He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 1994 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2000, the Library of Congress named him a "Living Legend" in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the nation. Numerous honorary degrees from institutions nationwide, most recently a 1999 Doctor of Arts from Harvard University, suggest academia has forgiven him for leaving college early to pursue a career as an editorial cartoonist. And well it should, for no cartoonist or commentator in America has done more to educate and inform the public during the past seven decades than Herb Block.

Through his compelling cartoons, Block influenced public opinion and affected prominent elected officials. U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy publicly denounced Block, and President Richard Nixon disparaged the cartoonist as "a master of sick invective."

WHEN: Oct. 13, 2009 to May 1, 2010

WHERE: The Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.