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Boris Drucker Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Drucker, Boris.
Title: Boris Drucker Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1945-2004
Quantity: 33 linear ft.
Abstract: Papers of the American cartoonist, illustrator. Original cartoons (1967-1986); memorabilia including a scrapbook of sketches made in India, 1945; and material on his children's book, Henrietta.
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

Boris Drucker was an American artist, illustrator and cartoonist. Drucker lived and worked in Philadelphia for most of his career, and died there in January 2009.

Boris Drucker was born in Center City Philadelphia on 22 May 1920. After graduating from West Philadelphia High School in 1938, he received his training at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art (later known as the Philadelphia College of Art, now part of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia). Drucker got his start in magazine publishing in 1946, when he had come back from his overseas experience in the Second World War. His final years at the art school had put him on an advertising track, and from the late 1940s until the middle of the 1960s, this is what he pursued in Philadelphia.

In 1966, after a brief stint of teaching advertising and commercial art, Drucker went to New York to open a studio and at the age of forty-six was accepted as a New Yorker cartoonist. The third phase of Drucker' s career had started. Cartooning and advertising had been the two main pillars of his early work, but he began to work more directly for industry clients for whom cartoon illustrations communicated more clearly than photographs. Along the way, Drucker found time to work up various ideas for cartoon strips, including a 1960s proposal for Future Boy. In the last phase of his productive and varied career, Drucker concentrated on commercial work for industry clients and created batch after batch of cartoons that commented on the passing scene with his unique attitude and drawing style. In addition to hundreds of published works, he produced approximately twelve thousand rough drawings that he donated to the Special Collections Research Center.

After all these years of having his work published and with all the recognition he has received, Drucker commented that "You never loose the kick of seeing your work in print."

In 2005 Syracuse University sponsored a retrospective exhibition of Boris Drucker’s work “Don’t Pay Any Attention To Him, He’s 90% Water” at the Louise and Bernard Palitz Gallery in New York.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Boris Drucker Papers includes original artwork, correspondence, sketchbooks, cartoons, personal memorabilia, scrapbooks, and illustrations for his children's book, Henrietta. The collection is currently undergoing extensive reprocessing to incorporate new material.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Original cartoons are arranged based on numbers assigned to them by Drucker. Commercial art is arranged alphabetically by client/company name. Cartoon series are arranged alphabetically by name of the series. Published cartoons are arranged alphabetically by name of publication in which they appeared. Correspondence is alphabetical by correspondent. Memorabilia is alphabetical by type or topic.

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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

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

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Subject Headings

Persons

Drucker, Boris.

Associated Titles

Drucker, Boris -- Henrietta.

Subjects

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

Genres and Forms

Cartoons (humorous images)
Sketches.

Occupations

Cartoonists.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Boris Drucker Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Boris Drucker, 1966-1987.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: CMV
Date: 4 Dec 1978
Revision history: 16 Mar 2007 - converted to EAD (MRC); 4 Apr 2009 - updated, expanded (PRB); Jun 2009 - additions (PRB); 3 May 2012 - oversize box no.s updated (MRC)

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Inventory

Artwork
Original cartoons
Box 1 #1 - #2099
Box 2 #2100 - #4209
Box 3 #4210 - #5998
Box 4 #5999 - #7402
Box 5 #7403 - #10907
Box 6 #10908 - #12615
Box 6A #12617-12895 and unnumbered
Commercial art
Box 7 American Telephone and Telegraph undated
Oversize 1 American Telephone and Telegraph (oversize) undated
Box 7 American Tobacco Company 1960
Box 7 American Veterinary Medical Association undated
Box 7 America’s Independent Electric Light and Power Companies 1956
Oversize 1 Armstrong Cork Company 1978
Box 7 Atlantic Richfield Company 1977
Oversize 1 Atlas Powder Company 1959
Oversize 1 Attapulgus Minerals & Chemicals Corporation 1964
Oversize 1 Avis Rent-A-Truck undated
Avisco Films
See FMC Corporation
Box 7 Balmoral Beach Hotel Nassau, Bahamas undated
Box 7 Beryllium Corporation undated
Box 7 Bethlehem Steel 1982, 1987, 1989, undated
Oversize 1 Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company of Canada 1956
Oversize 1 Blue Bell, Inc. 1959
Box 7 Blue Cross Blue Shield 1960, undated
Box 7 Breyers Ice Cream undated
Oversize 1 Brooklyn Union Gas Company 1953
Campus Direct
See Student Advantage, Inc..
Oversize 1 Cannon Mills, Inc. 1948
Box 7 Certainteed Corporation undated
Oversize 1 Champion Spark Plugs 1962
Oversize 1 Chevrolet 1953
Box 7 Christ Episcopal Church Woodbury, MN 1966
Oversize 1 Chrysler Corporation 1952
Oversize 1 Chrysler Corporation, Parts Division 1956
Box 7 Compensation and Capital, Incorporated 1980
Comptometer
See Felt & Tarrant Manufacturing Co.
Oversize 2 Consolidated Cigar Corporation 1958
Box 7 Consolidated Press 1967
Box 7 Continental Can Company 1972
Box 7 Dallas Transit System 1983
Box 7 DeSoto, Inc. 1973-1975
Box 7 Devon Energy Corporation 1983
Box 7 Diamond State Telephone Company undated
Box 7 Doktor Pet Center 1968
Box 7 Drake Press 1953, 1954
Oversize 2 DuPont 1957
Box 7 EduWorld, Inc. 1970
Box 7 Ethicon Hospital Supplies 1978, 1979
Oversize 2 Felt & Tarrant Manufacturing Co. 1948
Box 7 Fidelity Bank Philadelphia, PA 1967
Box 7 Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company 1964
Oversize 2 Fidelity Philadelphia Trust Company 1950
Box 7 Finley Playground Philadelphia, PA 1975, 1976
Box 7 Fiorillo, Maddalena attorney at law Tucson, AZ 1998
Box 7 First National Safe Deposit Corporation Jenkintown, PA 1980
Box 7 First Pennsylvania Banking and Trust Company Philadelphia, PA 1956, 1958
Oversize 2 First Pennsylvania Banking and Trust Company Philadelphia, PA (oversize) 1956, 1958
Box 7 Florida Department of Commerce undated
Box 7 FMC Corporation Philadelphia, PA 1965
Oversize 2 FMC Corporation Philadelphia, PA (oversize) 1956, 1958
Frito-Lay, Inc.
See Pepsico, Inc.
Box 7 Gamble-Skogmo, Inc. 1980
Box 7 [W.W.] Grainger, Inc. 1977
Box 7 Gilbert/Commonwealth, Inc. 1984
Box 7 Gray & Rogers Advertising Philadelphia, PA 1951
Box 7 GTE Sylvania Corporation 1980
Box 7 Gulf Oil Corporation 1963
Oversize 2 [P.H.] Hanes Knitting Company 1957
Box 7 [A.S.] Hansen, Inc. 1971
Box 7 Hertz Corporation undated
High Gradient
See Selas Corporation of America
Box 7 Hills Brothers Coffee, Inc. undated
Box 7 Hitchcock Clinic Hanover, NH 1981
Box 7 Honeywell Corporation 1980
Oversize 2 I-T-E Circuit Breaker Company 1964-1967
Oversize 2 Insurance Company of North America 1951, undated
Box 7 Jason’s Chicken, Inc. Philadelphia, PA 1978
Box 7 The Learning Child 1971-1973
Box 7 Leath-Maxwell 1972
Oversize 2 Lee Tires 1953
Box 7 Leeds & Lippincott Company 1957
Box 7 MHRA 1977?
Oversize 3 [P.R.] Mallory & Co., Inc. undated
Box 7 Marathon Oil Corporation undated
Box 7 McCall’s undated
Box 7 Mead Paper undated
Oversize 3 Monitor Leasing and Financial Services 1993-2006
Oversize 3 Morgan’s (restaurant) New York, NY 1980
Oversize 3 National Fibre Company of Canada,Ltd. 1956
Box 7 National Football League Players’ Association 1971
Box 7 New School for Social Research 1981
Oversize 3 The New Yorker 1988, 1990, undated
Oversize 3 Nicholson File 1960
Box 7 Nordisk Pharmaceuticals (Denmark) 1984
Box 7 Olin 1973
Box 7 Pelican Cove, FL undated
Box 7 Penn Salt undated
Box 7 The Pennsylvania Company undated
Box 7 Pennsylvania Railroad undated
Box 7 Pepsico, Inc 1966
Box 7 Philadelphia Orchestra 1972
Philadelphia Savings Fund Society
Box 7 Outdoor posters 1950s-1960s
Box 7 Annual reports 1952, 1953
Box 8 Annual reports 1954, 1955, 1957, 1959
Box 8 Christmas Club 1964, undated
Oversize 3 Newspaper ads 1957
Oversize 3 Vacation Club 1956-1959, undated
Phillies Cigars
See Consolidated Cigar Corporation
Box 8 Polk Miller Products Corp. 1957
Box 8 Radio Corporation of America 1969, undated
Box 8 Risdon Corporation 1976
Box 8 Rittenhouse-Fitler Square Neighborhood Security Committee Philadelphia, PA 1997-2000
Box 8 Riverdale Country School Riverdale, NY 1971
Oversize 3 Rohm and Haas Company 1965-1967
Oversize 3 Royal Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Company 1964
Sand and Spray
See Leeds & Lippincott Company
Box 8 Savannah Foods, Inc. 1992
Box 8 Seabrook Farms 1956
Box 8 Sealtest 1957
Box 8 Securities Industry Automation Corporation 1972
Box 8 Selas Corporation of America 1968-1969
Sergeant’s
See Polk Miller Products
Box 8 Sewell Corporation 1988
Box 8 Sharp & Dohme 1952
Box 8 Sorbus Inc. 1980
Box 8 Standard Products 1999
Box 8 Stevens Textiles 1968-1970
Box 8 Student Advantage, Inc. undated
Box 8 Stylepark Hats, Inc. undated
Oversize 3 The Sunday Bulletin Philadelphia, PA 1963
Box 8 Turnkey (Chicago) 1976
Oversize 3 TV Guide 1960, 1971, undated
Box 8 Unifirst Federal Savings Bank Building Hollywood, FL 1986
Oversize 3 United Energy Services Corporation undated
Oversize 3 Valley Forge Convention and Visitors’ bureau undated
Oversize 3 Voice Processing Equipment Company 1989
Oversize 3 Whitman’s Chocolates 1956
Oversize 3 Yale & Towne 1964
Oversize 3 Yellow Cab Company of Philadelphia undated
Oversize 3 Yes Tissues 1947
Oversize 5 Unidentified
Cartoon series
Oversize 4 Animal Alphabet
See also Published cartoons: Good Housekeeping (Box 9)
Oversize 4 Cliff and Ivy
Oversize 4 Future Boy
Oversize 4 Look at the State They’re In (2 folders)
See also Published cartoons: Saturday Evening Post (Box 9)
Oversize 4 Miles Hai
Oversize 4A The Perfect Squelch (5 folders)
See also Published cartoons: Saturday Evening Post (Box 9)
Oversize 4 Victoria and Ivy
Oversize 4 You Be the Judge
See also Published cartoons: Saturday Evening Post (Box 9)
Finished cartoons (sold)
Oversize 6 Identified
Oversize 7 Identified
Oversize 8 Unidentified
Oversize 8A Unidentified
Oversize 9 Unidentified
Oversize 9A Unidentified
Oversize 10 Unidentified
Published cartoons
Box 9 Argosy undated
Box 9 Changing Times 1971-1980
Box 9 Colliers 1946-1955
Box 9 Common Cents 1977-1978
Box 9 Cosmopolitan 1973-1974
Box 9 Family Week 1965, 1971
Box 9 Good Housekeeping 1971
See also Cartoon series: Animal Alphabet (Oversize 4)
Box 9 Holiday 1951, 1953, undated
Box 9 Horticulture 1984
Box 9 Ladies Home Journal 1969
Box 9 Look 1962-1971
Box 9 Managed Care 1994
Box 9 Medical Economics 1986
Box 9 Medical Opinion & Review 1971
Box 9 Modern Maturity 1993-1994
Box 9 Natural History 1993
Box 9 Monitor 2005
Box 9 The New Yorker 1971-1997, undated (7 folders)
Box 9 OBG Management 1991, 1992, 1994, undated
Box 9 Parade 1957
Box 9 Parents 1992, 1993
Box 9 Pediatric Management 1991, 1992, 1994, undated
Box 9 Playboy 1976-1995, undated
Box 9 Punch 1968-1969, 1988-1989
Box 9 Saturday Evening Post 1946-1973, undated (6 folders)
See also the following under Artwork: Cartoon series:
Look at the State They’re In
The Perfect Squelch
You Be the Judge
Box 9 The Saturday Review 1971-1972, 1974
Box 9 Suburbia Today 1962-1963
Box 9 This Week 1951-1952, 1954, 1968-1969
Box 9 Smoke 1996, 1998, 2000
Box 9 Sports Illustrated 1955
Box 9 Time 1976
Box 9 Tour 1980
Box 9 True 1953, 1968-1972, undated
Box 9 TV Guide 1971
Box 9 U.S. News & World Report 1979
Box 9 Vista of the United Nations Association 1968, undated
Box 9 World 1973
Box 9 Unidentified
Student artwork
Box 9 Watercolor 1934
Box 9 Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art 1940, 1941
Oversize 1 Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art (oversize) 1940, 1941
Box 9 Army sketches 1943-1946, undated (4 folders)
Box 9 Miscellaneous sketches
Correspondence/subject files
Box 10 Changing Times
Devine, Rose
See "Perfect Menus for Perfect Dinner Parties" (Box 10)
Box 10 Drucker, A. B.
Box 10 Foster, —
Box 10 Gilliam, Art
Box 10 Gray & Rogers
Box 10 Gross, Sam
Box 10 Hallmark Cards
Box 10 Hams, Jud
Box 10 Junior Miss
Lafferty, Mary Loretta
See "Perfect Menus for Perfect Dinner Parties" (Box 10)
Box 10 National Peace Action Coalition
Box 10 The New Yorker
Box 10 Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art
Box 10 "Perfect Menus for Perfect Dinner Parties"
Philadelphia Museum of Art
See Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art
Box 10 Random House
Box 10 Saturday Evening Post
Box 10 United States Army Air Force Personnel Distribution Command
Box 10 Wall Street Journal
Box 10 West Philadelphia High School
Box 10 Wither, Barbara (3 folders)
Writings
Books
Oversize 11 Henrietta
Memorabilia
Box 10 Clippings (2 folders)
Oversize 12 Clippings (oversize)
Oversize 13 Exhibition: "Don't pay any attention to him, he's 90% water."
Box 10 Military (2 folders)
Box 10 Photographs (4 folders)
Box 10 Scrapbook 1958 (6 folders)
Oversize 14 Miscellaneous

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