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Roy Crane Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Crane, Roy
Title: Roy Crane Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1908-1977
Quantity: 72 linear ft.
Abstract: Approximately 6,000 Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy comic strips and approximately 11,700 Buz Sawyer comic strips in various media (original cartoons, proofs and tear sheets), examples of other Crane comic strips, biographical material, correspondence, original drawings and sketches, promotional materials, research materials, writings and artifacts.
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

Royston C. Crane (1901-1977), known as Roy Crane, was an American cartoonist. He was the creator of the long-running newspaper comic strips Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy and Buz Sawyer.

Crane, son of Judge and Mrs. R. C. Crane, was born in 1901 in Abilene, Texas, and grew up in Sweetwater, Texas. He attended Hardin-Simmons University in 1918 and the University of Texas from 1919 to 1922, later studying briefly at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In 1924, he started the comic strip, Wash Tubbs, for the Newspaper Enterprise Association in Cleveland. Later he introduced another character, "Captain Easy", into the strip, for whom the Sunday version was ultimately named. In 1943, Roy Crane left NEA to launch his new creation, Buz Sawyer, for King Features Syndicate in New York. Both Crane creations eventually ran well into the late 1980s.

Crane was honored with the prestigious Reuben Award by the National Cartoonists Society in 1950. He was also awarded the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Public Service, the highest honor the navy can bestow on civilians, from the United States Navy for his fictional adventures of Buz Sawyer. In 1961, he received the Silver Lady Award from the Banshee club—a group of artists, editors, and writers in New York. Mr. Crane was honored with a Doctorate of Human Letters from Rollins College. He established the Roy Crane Award in Arts at the University of Texas to encourage independent achievement in creative writing, art, music, and drama in January 1965. Roy Crane died in 1977.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Roy Crane Papers contains comic strips, art and artifacts, biographical material and personal papers, corespondence, drawings and sketches, promotional material, published material, research material, and writings. The evolution of the various permutations of Crane's original feature is a bit tangled, but in rough terms the daily version was titled "Wash Tubbs", while the Sunday feature ran with the title "Captain Easy". Eventually, around 1949, the two strips both began to carry the title "Captain Easy", but many local papers continued to use the old titles for many years.

The vast bulk of the collection consists of Comic strips in various formats from Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy (1924-1945) and Buz Sawyer (1943-1977). Comic strip formats include original cartoons, tear sheets and proofs. Typically, until about the late 1950s, Crane kept proofs/tear sheets in large scrapbooks, with Sunday and daily versions ordered separately in chronological order. After 1957, proofs were kept as loose sheets (6 strips per sheet for dailies). Crane's original cartoons are also ordered separately in chronological order. For the first few years of the Captain Easy Sunday strip, Crane produced large, hand-colored panels. Most of these are in 2 pieces, but about a dozen or so are still intact as single pieces. Often, especially in the early years of Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy, Crane cut his drawings into multiple pieces—probably to expedite mailing, but also for his own purposes (image files, examples for assistants, etc.). Whenever possible, identifiable fragments and partial cartoons have been integrated with other cartoon holdings (in chronological order); a number of these fragments, however, have not been integrated, and can be found together under the grouping "Cartoon Fragments".

In addition to holdings of Crane's primary comic strips, the collection also contains examples of other, short-lived and pilot strips that Crane produced. There are large format color proofs from Frank Battle and The Rise of Radio Rudolph, as well as original cartoon drawings from a never-realized travel feature. The collection also contains several tear sheet examples of the supplemental Wash Tubbs games feature, and a few tear sheets representing the early, short-lived Sunday version of Wash Tubbs.

Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy material includes daily cartoons and Sunday cartoons. Art media for the daily cartoons include traces of graphite, blue pencil, pasteovers, pen and ink on Craftint board or illustration board; dimensions vary approx. 5 x 17 ½ in. to 7 ½ x 25 ½ in. Art media for the Sunday cartoons until 1935 include traces of graphite, blue pencil, paste-overs, watercolor, brush, pen and ink on illustration board; overall dimensions approx. 22 ¾ x 24 in., most in 2 pieces). After 1935, traces of graphite, blue pencil, paste-overs, brush, pen and ink on illustration board, overall dimensions approx. 21 ½ x 28 in. (most in 2 pieces). For the daily proofs, most are approx. 3 x 8 ½ in. on newsprint (strips pasted into scrapbooks). For the Sunday proofs, most are 9 ½ x 13 in. in color on newsprint (pasted into scrapbooks).

Buz Sawyer material includes daily cartoons and Sunday cartoons. Art media for the daily cartoons include traces of graphite, blue pencil, scratchings, opaque white, brush, pen and ink on Craftint board (some on illustration board), approx. 6 x 18 in. Art media for the Sunday cartoons include traces of graphite, blue pencil, opaque white, pasteovers, brush, pen and ink on illustration board, dimensions vary, most approx. 18 x 26 in. Daily proof sheet (1943-1965): dimensions vary, most 11 ½ x 19 ½ in. on newsprint (6 strips per sheet). Fir tge daily proof sheet (1965-1977): most approx. 8 ½ x 17 in. on glossy paper (6 strips per sheet). Sunday proof: dimensions vary, most approx. 10 ½ x 14 ½ in color on glossy paper (all in black and white starting 1965).

In addition to original artwork for the above comic strips, the collection also contains a significant amount of material related to the production and distribution of the comic strips. Art and artifacts contains some of Crane's artistic materials, including sample drawings and scrapbooks/manuals on "How to Draw Buz Sawyer" and "How to Write Buz Sawyer," as well as cartoons by other artists.

Biographical material and personal papers includes awards, biographical and autobiographical sketches, photographs, a few financial items, and miscellaneous personal material.

Correspondence represents professional communications, including correspondence with syndicate representatives (both NEA and King Features), assistant artists (including Leslie Turner, Bela Zaboly, Joe King, Al Wenzel and Clark Haas), and a substantial amount of correspondence between Crane and various U.S. government entities, especially the U.S. Navy. There is a separate subseries of correspondence between Crane and his assistant Clark Haas which documents their working relationship.

There are preliminary Drawings and sketches from every phase of Crane's career, from juvenilia to his published strips.

Promotional material consists of syndicate-produced announcements, sample strips, etc. for Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy, Buz Sawyer and other Roy Crane strips.

Published material includes clippings about Crane and his work as well as assorted published examples of his work such as sheet music and magazine covers.

Research material for Buz Sawyer and Wash Tubbs includes notes, notebooks, pamphlets, clippings, photographs and so on.

Writings, mostly by Crane, includes notes, drafts and typescripts reflecting the development of story scenarios and continuities (including accumulated research material and notebooks), as well as Crane's thoughts about his work and the history and art form of the comic strip.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Original comic strip art is arranged first. The other series follow in alphabetical order by series title. Within each series, material is arranged alphabetically by type or title.

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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

No reproduction of original art work without permission of Roy Crane's daughters.

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Related Material

For additional original cartoons from the Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy comic strip, see the Leslie Turner Cartoons. In addition, Special Collections Research Center has an 18-volume reprint edition of the full run of Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy. Please see the Classic Catalog to locate this set.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Bairnsfather, Bruce, 1887-
Crane, Roy.
Haas, Clark.
King, Joe.
Mendelsohn, Jack.
Schlensker, Hank.
Turner, Leslie, 1899-1988.
Wenzel, Al.
Zaboly, Bela.

Corporate Bodies

King Features Syndicate.
National Cartoonists Society.
Newspaper Enterprise Association.
United States. -- Navy.
University of Texas at Austin.

Associated Titles

Buz Sawyer (comic strip)
Captain Easy (comic strip)
Wash Tubbs (comic strip)

Subjects

Adventure stories -- Comic books, strips, etc.
American wit and humor, Pictorial.
Caricatures and cartoons -- United States.
Cartoonists -- United States.
Cold War -- Comic books, strips, etc.
Comic books, strips, etc. -- United States.
War -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Genres and Forms

Articles.
Cartoons (humorous images)
Clippings (information artifacts)
Comic strips.
Correspondence.
Drawings (visual works)
Manuscripts (document genre)
Notebooks.
Photographs.
Posters.
Proofs (printed matter)
Scrapbooks.
Sketches.
Tear sheets.

Occupations

Cartoonists.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Roy Crane Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Roy Crane .

Finding Aid Information

Created by: -
Date: unknown
Revision history: 29 Sep 2006 - converted to EAD (AMCon); 4 May 2009 - revised (MD); 29 May 2009 - revised (MD); 5 Dec 2018 - stylistic and coding cleanup (MRC)

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Inventory

Comic strips, original art
Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy comic strips (approximately 6,000 comic strips)
Click here for detailed inventory.
Daily cartoons
Oversize 1 Daily cartoons 1926 Dec 30-1934 Jun 19
Oversize 2 Daily cartoons 1934 Aug 17-1939 Mar 2
Oversize 3 Daily cartoons 1940 Feb 24 -1940 Dec 28
Oversize 4 Daily cartoons 1941 Jan 10 -1941 Dec 30
Oversize 5 Daily cartoons 1942 Jan 1 -1945 Apr 14
Sunday cartoons
Oversize 6 Sunday cartoons 1933 Aug 20-1934 Dec 30
For the following Sunday cartoons, see Oversize 8 below: 9/17/33, 10/8/33, 12/3/33, 12/10/33, 12/17/33, 12/24/33, 1/7/34, 7/15/34, 8/26/34, 10/7/34, 11/18/34, 12/23/34.
Oversize 7 Sunday cartoons 1935 Jan 6-1935 Dec 15
For the following Sunday cartoons, see Oversize 8 below: 1/13/35, 9/29/35.
Oversize 8 Sunday cartoons, oversize color 1933 Sep 17-1935 Sep 29
Specific dates: 9/17/33, 10/8/33, 12/3/33, 12/10/33, 12/17/33, 12/24/33, 1/7/34, 7/15/34, 8/26/34, 10/7/34, 11/18/34, 12/23/34, 1/13/35, 9/29/35
Oversize 9 Sunday cartoons 1936 Jan 5 -1936 Dec 27
Oversize 10 Sunday cartoons 1937 Apr 4 -1939 Dec 31
Oversize 11 Sunday cartoons 1940 Jan 14 -1940 Oct 13
Daily proofs/tear sheets
Volume 1 [Scrapbook 1] 1924 Apr 15-1924 Dec 23
Volume 2 [Scrapbook 2] 1924 Dec 24-1925 Jun 9
Volume 3 [Scrapbook 3] 1925 May 30-1927 Dec 31
Volume 4 [Scrapbook 4] 1928 Jan 2-1930 Jan 4
Volume 5 [Scrapbook 5] 1930 Jan 6-1932 Jan 2
Volume 6 [Scrapbook 6] 1932 Jan 4-1933 Dec 30
Volume 7 [Scrapbook 7] 1934 Jan 1-1936 Jan 4
Volume 8 [Scrapbook 8] 1936 Jan 6-1938 Jan 1
Volume 9 [Scrapbook 9] 1938 Jan 3-1939 Dec 30
Volume 10 [Scrapbook 10] 1940 Jan 1-1941 Dec 27; 1942 Mar 30-1942 May 9
Volume 11 [Scrapbook 11] 1942 Apr 21-1942 Nov 14; 1943 Mar 15-1943 May 29
Sunday proofs/tear sheets, Captain Easy
Volume 12 [Scrapbook 12] 1933 Jul 30-1934 Dec 30
Volume 13 [Scrapbook 13] 1935 Jan 6-1935 Dec 29
Volume 14 [Scrapbook 14] 1936 Jan 12-1936 Dec 27
Volume 15 [Scrapbook 15] 1937 Jan 3-1937 Dec 26
Volume 16 [Scrapbook 16] 1938 Jan 2-1938 Dec 25
Volume 17 [Scrapbook 17] 1939 Jan 1-1939 Dec 31
Volume 18 [Scrapbook 18] 1940 Jan 7-1941 Dec 28
Volume 19 [Scrapbook 19] 1942 Jan 4-1943 Jul 4
Oversize 12 Sunday tear sheets, Wash Tubbs 1927 Mar 27-1927 Apr 24 - in color, 5 ¼ x 14 ¾ in. (5)
Buz Sawyer (approximately 11,700 comic strips)
Click here for detailed inventory.
Daily cartoons
Oversize 19 Daily cartoons 1943 Nov 4-1949 Apr 26
Oversize 20 Daily cartoons 1951 Jan 1-1954 Feb 3
Oversize 21 Daily cartoons 1955 Jan 10-1955 Sep 30
Oversize 22 Daily cartoons 1955 Oct 1-1956 Jun 6
Oversize 23 Daily cartoons 1956 Oct 15-1957 Jun 27
Oversize 24 Daily cartoons 1957 Jul 1-1957 Dec 31
Oversize 25 Daily cartoons 1958 Jan 1-1958 Jun 30
Oversize 26 Daily cartoons 1958 Jul 1-1958 Dec 30
Oversize 27 Daily cartoons 1959 Jan 1-1959 Jul 31
Oversize 28 Daily cartoons 1959 Aug 1-1959 Dec 30
Oversize 29 Daily cartoons 1960 Jan 1-1960 Jun 30
Oversize 30 1960 Jul 1-1960 Dec 31
Oversize 31 Daily cartoons 1961 Jan 10-1961 Jun 30
Oversize 32 Daily cartoons 1961 Jul 1-1961 Dec 30
Oversize 33 Daily cartoons 1962 Jan 1-1962 Jun 30
Oversize 34 Daily cartoons 1962 Jul 2-1962 Dec 31
Oversize 35 Daily cartoons 1963 Jan 1-1963 May 30
Oversize 36 Daily cartoons 1963 Jun 1-1963 Dec 31
Oversize 37 Daily cartoons 1964 Jan 1-1964 Jun 30
Oversize 38 Daily cartoons 1964 Jul 1-1964 Dec 31
Oversize 39 Daily cartoons 1965 Jan 1-1965 Jun 30
Oversize 40 Daily cartoons 1965 Jul 1-1965 Dec 30
Oversize 41 Daily cartoons 1966 Jan 1-1966 Jun 28
Oversize 42 Daily cartoons 1966 Jul 2-1966 Dec 30
Sunday cartoons
Oversize 43 Sunday cartoons 1943 Dec 26-1949 Nov 27
Oversize 44 Sunday cartoons 1950 Jan 29-1955 Dec 25
Oversize 45 Sunday cartoons 1956 Jan 1-1956 Dec 30; 1960 Jan 3-1960 Dec 25
Oversize 46 Sunday cartoons 1961 Jan 8-1962 Jul 29
Oversize 47 Sunday cartoons 1962 Aug 5-1963 Dec 29
Oversize 48 Sunday cartoons 1964 Jan 5-1965 Jul 25
Oversize 49 Sunday cartoons 1965 Aug 1-1966 Dec 25
Daily proofs
Volume 21 [Scrapbook 21] 1943 Nov 1-1945 Mar 17
Volume 22 [Scrapbook 22] 1945 Mar 19-1946 Oct 19
Volume 28 [Scrapbook 28] 1946 Oct 14-1947 Jun 28
Volume 23 [Scrapbook 23] 1947 Jun 30-1948 Nov 27
Volume 24 [Scrapbook 24] 1948 Nov 22-1952 Jun 14
samples of Buz Sawyer strips from Peru, Sweden, Uruguay, Finland and comic book cover from Rio pasted on inside of front and back cover of scrapbook
Volume 25 [Scrapbook 25] 1952 Jun 16-1956 Mar 3
Oversize 50 Daily proofs 1954 Mar 1-1955 Jul 9; 1961 Jul 24-1963 Mar 30
Oversize 51 Daily proofs 1963 Apr 8-1965 Jun 30
Oversize 52 Daily proofs 1965 Jul 1-1970 Dec 31
Oversize 53 Daily proofs 1971 Jan 1-1977 Sep 3
Sunday proofs
Volume 26 [Scrapbook 26] 1943 Nov 28-1944 Dec 24
Volume 27 [Scrapbook 27] 1944 Dec 31-1946 Oct 13
Volume 28 [Scrapbook 28] 1946 Oct 20-1947 Mar 2
Volume 29 [Scrapbook 29] 1947 Mar 9-1948 Dec 26
Volume 30 [Scrapbook 30] 1949 Jan 2-1952 Jul 20
Volume 31 [Scrapbook 31] 1952 Jul 20-1956 Apr 22
Volume 32 [Scrapbook 32] 1956 Apr 29-1957 Sep 8
Oversize 54 Sunday proofs 1957 Sep 15-1960 Dec 25
Oversize 55 Sunday proofs 1961 Jan 1-1964 Dec 27
Oversize 56 Sunday proofs 1965 Jan 3-1974 May 19
Other comic strips
Oversize 12 Frank Battle, Sunday proof 1930 - in color, 15 ¾ x 22 in.; handwritten note from Crane: "meant for publication by NEA in early 1930, only two pages were drawn before the feature was dropped due to the Depression" (1)
See also Drawings and sketches: Frank Battle sketches.
Oversize 12 The Rise of Radio Rudolph, Sunday proof circa 1930 - in color, 12 ½ x 19 in.
Oversize 12 Travel feature, pencil cartoons 1928 - pencil, pen and ink on illustration board, 14 ¾ x 15 ½ in.; handwritten note from Crane: "Once, about 1928, I dreamed of doing a travel feature that would take me endlessly around the world. I was advised to stick with "Wash Tubbs". This was the sample I submitted to about 2 syndicates" (8 items)
Wash Tubbs games
Oversize 12 "The Tubbsy Treasure Hunt" September 11, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "Bull's Eye!" September 18, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "World Series!" September 25, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "Bear Hunt!" October 2, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "Touch-Down!" October 9, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "Lost in the Wilds of Africa" October 16, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "Steeple Chase!" October 23, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "Big Game Hunt!" October 30, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "Hare and Hounds" November 6, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "Cross Country" November 27, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 "Pot Shot" December 3, 1932 - Sunday color tear sheet, approx. 5 ½ x 15 in.
Oversize 12 Untitled strip [chorus girls] undated - original cartoon with traces of graphite, blue pencil, pen and ink on illustration board, 7 x 18 in.); cartoon depicts a series of chorus girls with labels: "attractive margin", "shelf room", "doubtful quality", etc.
Art and artifacts
Artist tools/technical aids
Oversize 12 Buz Sawyer template - Crane's template for drawing Buz Sawyer, approx. 19 x 26 ½ in.; handwritten note on board: "Key to making pages accurately-Buz Sawyer."
Volume 33 "How to Draw Buz Sawyer" (Scrapbook 33 and duplicate photostats) 1940s - pasted-in examples from proofs and tear sheets with handwritten captions by Crane, approx. 11 x 18 in.; handwritten note from Crane, "This book was compiled when Hank Schlensker took over the daily 'Buz Sawyer'. It was meant to show him the 'secrets' and 'tricks' of getting good effects in Benday which had taken me years to learn."
Oversize 18 "How to Write Buz Sawyer" circa 1963 - scrapbook, 150pp., typed; handwritten notes and sketches in three-ring binder
Oversize 12 Shading key - Crane's key for shading patterns; pen and ink on illustration board, approx. 8 x 11 ½ in.; handwritten note: "Patterns for clothing, etc. Each kind of shading has a key number as well-B. Zaboly."
Cartoons by others
Volume 20 Bruce Bairnsfather cartoon [Scrapbook 20] 1947 - "Old Bill" drawing, pencil on paper (11 ½ x 17 ¾ in.), inscribed to Crane by the artist
Oversize 12 Buz Sawyer sketches undated - pencil sketches on illustration board, approx. 7 x 21 ¾ in.; handwritten note from Crane: "trying out a new assistant" (5 items)
Oversize 12 Kid Stuff! undated - original cartoon panel by Gene Williams, sent to Crane as a sample of the artist's work
Oversize 12 Messes From Life undated - original comic strip by Ken Muse, sent to Crane as a solicitation
Oversize 12 Treasure Chest [comic book cover] 1964 Dec 31 - original comic strip by unknown artist, sent to Crane as a sample of the artist's work
Oversize 12 Untitled undated - printed comic strip by Robert Connolly, sent to Crane as a sample of the artist's work
Biographical material and personal papers
Box 1 Autobiographical sketch undated (before 1971) - typescript by Crane on his career and the history of the comic strip, 17 pp.
Box 1 Biographical Series No. 65, King Features Syndicate undated - draft and typed copies of syndicate-issued biographical sketch of Crane done by Mel Heimer (4 items)
Box 1 Financial records 1934, 1962 (20 items)
Contains expense receipts for art supplies (1962), deposit slips (1934), Captain Easy expense reports (1934) and certificate of payment for house construction (1940)
Box 1 Home landscaping plans for Crane house undated
Box 1 Miscellaneous personal papers 1943, 1953, 1962, undated (4 items)
Contains typed list of newspapers using Buz Sawyer (1943), notes on enhancing the reader appeal of Buz Sawyer (1953), Indiantown landowners notice (1962), voter registration card, and a handwritten "to-do-list" (undated)
Box 1 National Cartoonists Society material 1949-1962 (4 items)
Contains itinerary for "Flying Cartoonist" promotional trip (1949), NCS newsletters (1953, 1962), and program for NCS Annual Dinner (1954)
Box 1 Photographs of Crane family 1948, 1952 - snapshots of children and calliope (3 items)
Box 1 Photographs of Roy Crane circa 1962 - photographs of Crane touring various military sites, making public appearances and receiving honorary degree from Rollins College (19 items)
Box 1 Roy Crane Award in the Arts at the University of Texas 1965 - letter, press releases issued by the University of Texas and clipping announcing the first winners of the award (4 items)
Oversize 14 "Silver Lady" award (Banshees award) 1961 - album of testimonials (xerox copies), original program from award ceremony, copies of newspaper articles about the ceremony and a typed copy of Crane's acceptance speech (7 items)
Correspondence
Incoming correspondence
Box 2 A, miscellaneous 1945-1965, undated
Box 2 Air Force, U.S. 1954-1964, undated
Box 2 Army, U.S. 1944, undated
Box 2 Aviation/Space Writers Association 1964-1965
Box 2 B, miscellaneous 1933-1967, undated
Box 2 Badger 1962, undated
Box 2 Boughner 1964
Box 2 C, miscellaneous 1931-1966, undated
Box 2 Crane family 1918-1953, undated
Box 2 Curtiss 1944
Box 2 D, miscellaneous 1934-1964, undated
Box 2 Department of Health, Education and Welfare 1962-1963
Box 2 E, miscellaneous 1954-1966
Box 2 F, miscellaneous 1949-1967
Box 2 Fishback & Sons 1940
Box 2 G, miscellaneous 1925-1964, undated
Box 2 H, miscellaneous 1931-1965, undated
Box 2 J, miscellaneous 1940-1966
Box 2 K, miscellaneous 1949-1966, undated
Box 4 King Features Syndicate 1941-1966, undated (5 folders)
Box 2 King. Joe undated
Box 2 L, miscellaneous 1930-1967, undated
Box 2 M, miscellaneous 1947-1965, undated
Box 3 N, miscellaneous 1950-1965
Box 3 National Cartoonists Society 1950-1966, undated
Box 3 Navy, U.S. 1943-1967, undated (3 folders)
Box 3 NEA Service 1941-1948, undated
Box 3 O, miscellaneous 1948-1963
Box 3 P, miscellaneous 19321966, undated
Box 3 Phi Kappa Psi 1951-1964
Box 3 President's Organization on Unemployment Relief 1931
Box 3 R, miscellaneous 1944-1965, undated
Box 3 S, miscellaneous 1948-1967, undated
Box 3 State Department, U.S. 1952
Box 3 T, miscellaneous 1951-1965, undated
Box 3 Treasury Department, U.S. 1953-1962
Box 3 Turner, Leslie 1960, undated
Box 3 U, miscellaneous 1962-1965
Box 3 University of Texas at Austin 1953-1965
Box 3 V, miscellaneous 1956-1967
Box 3 W, miscellaneous 1945-1967, undated
Box 3 War Department, U.S. 1943
Box 3 Wenzel, Al 1964, undated
Box 3 The Writers (club) 1934
Box 3 X, Y, Z, miscellaneous 1949-1962
Box 3 Zaboly, Bela 1944-1948
Box 3 Unidentifiable 1942-1964, undated
Outgoing correspondence
Box 4 [General] 1942-1959
Box 4 [General] 1961-1967, undated
Box 4 Wallace Willis letter 14 Oct 1973
Clark Haas correspondence
Box 5 [General] 1953-1961, undated - extensive correspondence between Crane and his assistant Clark Haas (and others?); includes letters, scenarios, sketches, proofs and tear sheets (2 folders)
Drawings and sketches
Oversize 15 Boats and seascapes sketches undated
Oversize 15 Buz Sawyer, Rosco Sweeney sketches and roughs undated
Oversize 57 Cartoon fragments undated - miscellaneous unidentified fragments detached from original Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy, Buz Sawyer, and Roscoe Sweeney cartoons
Oversize 15 Characters/faces undated
Oversize 15 Christmas cards undated - sketches and printed cards (4 items)
Oversize 16 Early work 1918-1924 - early sketches and original drawings for magazine illustrations
Oversize 16 Fights undated
Oversize 16 Frank Battle sketches 1930 - includes handwritten note from Crane, "sketches for Jack Battle [sic], a Sunday page that never came out because the Depression hit just two months before. The page had a pre-Revolutionary War background." (approximately 25 items)
Oversize 16 Juvenilia 1908-1918 (4)
Oversize 17 Landscapes/backgrounds undated
Oversize 17 Miscellaneous roughs and sketches undated - motion studies, animals, etc.
Oversize 17 Trains 1930-1935 (6 items)
Oversize 17 Travel sketches undated - people and locations in Mexico and various sites in the United States
Oversize 17 Wash Tubbs and Captain Easy sketches (3 items)
Oversize 17 Whaling sketches circa 1935
Oversize 17 Women undated
Promotional material
Music to the Ear
Oversize 13 Promotional poster early 1920s - includes handwritten note from Crane on back of one poster: "This was my first try on a syndicated feature..." (6 copies)
South of Rio Grande
Oversize 13 Promotional poster [1927] (2 copies)
"Lines and Sketches From an Artist's Notebook" by Roy Crane
Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy
Oversize 13 Posters, fliers and ads 1924-1943 (18)
Box 6 Miscellaneous 1924-1943 - fliers, print ads, NEA booklet, "Snap" (NEA in-house magazine) and Wash Tubbs flipbook (7 items)
Volume 1 Miscellaneous circa 1924 - announcements, promo articles, posters, sample strips, and bio clips on Crane (approximately 12 items)
Volume 2 Miscellaneous circa 1924 - promo articles and news clips on Crane and Wash Tubbs (approximately 6 items)
Volume 20 Miscellaneous circa 1924 - announcements, promo articles, posters, sample strips, copies of "Snap" (NEA in-house magazine), and bio clips on Crane (approximately 25 items)
Buz Sawyer
Box 6 Letters/packets to subscribing papers 1962-1972 - letter and 2 column mat issued by King Features; "The following copy and the accompanying mat are for your use in promoting the new continuity that starts..." (29 items)
Oversize 13 Posters, fliers and ads (10 items)
Oversize 13 Syndicate sales presentation booklet 1954
Box 6 Miscellaneous promotional materials - syndicate announcements, fliers, booklets, sample proofs and ads (15 items)
Published material
Box 7 Articles and clippings about Crane and his work 1927-1965, undated - xerox copies, newspaper and magazine clippings (2 folders)
Comic books
Box 7 Buz Sawyer, Standard (No. 2) 1948
Box 7 Buz Sawyer Featuring His Pal Rosco Sweeney - missing cover
Box 7 Captain Easy, Dell Four-Color Comics Series 2 (No. 111) 1946
Early illustration work
Box 7 "Coming Events Cast Their Shadows" 1919 - tear sheet for panel cartoon from Fort Worth Record
Box 7 How To Make Money undated - magazine cover
Box 7 I Confess magazine 1923 - tear sheets for story illustrations
Box 7 "I Didn't Know You'd Be Sorry" sheet music 1927
Box 7 Judge magazine 22 Sep 1923 - Crane illustration on page 21
Box 7 "Our National Pastime" 1922 - tear sheet of panel cartoon from The Longhorn Magazine
Box 7 The Wayne Whispers undated - magazine cover
Box 7 Miscellaneous early 1920s - xerox copies of Crane's early illustration work, including examples of his cartoons published in The Longhorn Magazine during Crane's college days (43 pages)
Box 7 Navy publications 1954-1964 - pamphlets, CHINFO newsletters, memo (7 items)
Box 7 Newspaperboys' Hall of Fame 1955 - letter and pamphlet (2 items)
Box 7 Pamphlets by others 1949-1962 (3 items)
Research material
For Buz Sawyer
Box 8 Notebooks - pocket notebooks containing story ideas, research notes and travel notes from trips to Cuba, Viet Nam, the Philippines and elsewhere (16 items)
Box 8 Research notes and pamphlets - notes on Naval aircraft, military practices, drug smuggling; pamphlets, fliers and forms related to Cuban immigration
Box 8 Research clippings and articles - newspaper and magazine clippings related to defense technology, submarines, military slang and miscellaneous other topics
For Wash Tubbs
Box 8 Circus research 1925-1927 - letters, notes, sketches, photographs (50 items)
Writings
Comic strips scripts and scenarios
Buz Sawyer - typed and handwritten scripts/scenarios for story continuities
Box 8 Scripts/scenarios, alphabetical by title (4 folders)
Box 9 Notebooks 1-14 - legal pads with loose pages interspersed (most 8 ½ x 14 in.); sketches, handwritten story notes and drafts, and some loose typed pages (14 items)
Box 10 Notebooks 15-27 - legal pads with loose pages interspersed (most 8 ½ x 14 in.); sketches, handwritten story notes and drafts, and some loose typed pages (13 items)
Other comic strips
Box 8 Family Strip - typed proposal for comic strip; handwritten note from Crane: "perhaps I was considering doing a second strip, in addition to Buz" (4 pages)
Box 8 Fortune Street - typed proposal for comic strip; handwritten note from Crane: "considered as a strip when switching to King Features" (3 pages)
Box 8 Mickey Ireland - typed proposal for comic strip, an early version of Buz Sawyer (2 pages)
Rosco Sweeney
Box 8 Stories by Crane - typed and handwritten scripts/scenarios for story continuities
Box 8 Story by Jack Mendelsohn - story board, sketches, typed script and proofs
Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy
Box 8 Scripts/scenarios, alphabetical by title - typed and handwritten scripts/scenarios for story continuities (22 stories)
Box 11 "Camels in Texas", by Roy Crane [story] undated - 9 page typescript (9 pages)
Box 11 "The First Few Knocks Are the Hardest", by Roy Crane [article] undated - 2 page typescript (2 pages)
Box 11 "The Marines Tell It To Crane", author unknown [article] undated - 5 page typescript (5 pages)
Box 11 Roy Crane Interview [radio script] undated - 7 page typed/handwritten radio script for Crane interview on WORZ radio (7 pages)
Box 11 Miscellaneous speeches - drafts and research notes by Crane for speeches, including material on the history and importance of comics, the social role of comics and the instructional use of comics (approximately 25 items)

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