Wit and Humor: American Political Cartoons

Monday July 15, 2019 to Sunday January 5, 2020

Political Cartoon Exhibit Opening at the Bush Library and Museum

Wit & Humor: American Political Cartoons, Explores Artistic Transformation in Cartoons

COLLEGE STATION, June 14, 2019 – The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum will present its new exhibit, Wit & Humor: American Political Cartoons, starting next month.

Using collections from the Library of Congress and the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives at Texas A&M University, Wit & Humor shows how cartoons have changed since the early days of the Republic. The exhibit will be on display from July 15 to Jan. 5, 2020 in the Ansary Gallery of American History.

Cartooning Texas: One Hundred Years of Cartoon Art in the Lone Star State will be part of the exhibit, displaying both a cartoon history of Texas politics and a history of political cartooning from 1890 to 1990. Cartooning Texas is a traveling exhibition circulated by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.

From the earliest days of our nation, political cartoons appeared as tools of expression for both the powerful and powerless. Using symbols, imagery, and humor, cartoonists have played a special role in helping average Americans make sense of the tumultuous and complex events we experience in our increasingly connected world. Cartoons from artists including Thomas Nast, Bill Mauldin, Herbert Block, Garry Trudeau, and Patrick Oliphant – regarded as giants in their field – will be highlighted.

The exhibit consists of eight sections, each devoted to a specific cartoonist or facet of cartooning.

Wit and Humor features more than 65 original artifacts and pieces of artwork, videos, and interactive digital kiosks that highlight important topics and works.

 

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