Collection inventory

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Table of Contents

Overview of the Collection

Biographical History

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Arrangement of the Collection

Restrictions

Subject and Genre Headings

Related Material

Administrative Information

Index to cartoons

Inventory

Cartoons

Proofs

Correspondence

Biographical material

Printed material

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Charles Werner Papers

An inventory of his Papers at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection
Creator: Werner, Charles George, 1909-1997.
Title: Charles Werner Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1938-1966
Quantity: 7.9 linear feet
Abstract: 909 original cartoons, proofs, correspondence, printed material and biographic information.
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

Charles George Werner (1909-1997) was a Pulitzer Prize winning American cartoonist who worked for the Indianapolis Star for 47 years.

Charles Werner was born March 23, 1909 in Marshfield, Wisconsin to George and Marie (Tipelt) Werner. Werner attended Oklahoma City University but had no formal training in art. He worked as a staff artist and photographer for the Springfield, Missouri Leader and Press from 1930 until 1935. He joined the staff of the Daily Oklahoman in 1935, becoming editorial cartoonist in 1937.

Werner won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1939 for a cartoon he did for the Daily Oklahoman titled “Nomination for 1938” which appeared on October 6, 1938. The cartoon commented on the Munich Agreement which allowed for the transfer of the Sudetenland to Hitler's Germany. At age 29, Werner was the youngest person to win the Pulitzer in that category.

Werner left the Daily Oklahoman to be the Chief Editorial Cartoonist at the Chicago Sun in 1941 before leaving for the Indianapolis Star in 1947 where he stayed until his retirement in 1994. Werner received a Sigma Delta Chi Award for excellence in journalism in 1943 and seven Freedom Foundation Awards from 1951 to 1963. At the 1969 International Salon of Cartoons in Montreal, he won an award as one of the world's six best cartoonists. In 1959 and 1960, Werner served as the president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

Throughout his nearly sixty year career, many U.S. Presidents expressed interest in Werner's cartoons. In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson requested over a dozen original cartoons from Werner for his personal collection. Former President Harry Truman also requested a cartoon for his presidential library.

Charles Werner died on July 1, 1997 from cancer.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Charles Werner Papers consists of five series: Cartoons (1947-1965), Proofs (1959-1964), Correspondence (1938-1964), Biographical material and Printed material.

The bulk of the collection is 909 editorial cartoons drawn by Werner for the Indianapolis Star located in the Cartoons series. Werner considered himself a conservative and often depicted the influence of big government as evidenced in his portrayal of President Harry Truman continuing on the liberal, tax and spend path of predecessor Franklin Roosevelt and the problems of too over involvement in foreign affairs. He also used sports motifs to portray political issues. Werner frequently commented on high rates of automobile accident deaths. His attention to this issue won him an award from National Foundation for Highway Safety.

Dimensions vary but most of the cartoons are approximately 11 1/4 x 13 3/4". Some of the original cartoons have newspaper clippings of the cartoon taped on the back. The cartoons were drawn on coquille board with ink and graphite.

Several years of proofs are included in the collection.

Correspondence contains incoming and outgoing correspondence. Correspondents included: professional organizations, elected officials including Barry Goldwater and Harry Truman (the letter is undated but is from after Truman's presidency), fans and fellow cartoonists including Carey Orr and Milton Caniff.

The biographical material and printed material series contain assorted information related to Werner's career and awards; articles and clippings about Werner; a handful of photographs and examples of his work syndicated outside of the United States.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Cartoons and proofs are arranged in chronological order by month. Correspondence is arranged and foldered by year.

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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

Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Werner, Charles George, 1909-1997.

Corporate Bodies

Indianapolis star.
United Nations -- Caricatures and cartoons.
United States. Congress -- Caricatures and cartoons.

Subjects

American wit and humor, Pictorial.
Caricatures and cartoons -- United States.
Cartoonists -- United States.
Cold War -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Communism -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Editorial cartoons -- Indiana.
Editorial cartoons -- United States.
Political cartoons.
Taxation -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Traffic fatalities -- Caricatures and cartoons.
World politics -- 1945-1989 -- Caricatures and cartoons.

Genres and Forms

Cartoons (humorous images)
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Editorial cartoons.
Printers' proofs.

Occupations

Cartoonists.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Charles Werner Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Charles Werner, 1965 and 1967.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MD
Date: 20 Oct 2008
Revision history: 20 Oct 2008 - converted to EAD (MD); 17 Sep 2009 - added index, detailed inventory and bio (SK)

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Inventory

Cartoons
See below for an index to the cartoons.
Oversize 1, Folder 1 1947 Jan- 1947 Jul (10 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 2 1947 Aug - 1947 Dec (11 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 3 1948 Jan - 1948 Mar (14 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 4 1948 Apr - 1948 Jun (13 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 5 1948 Jul - 1948 Oct (13 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 6 1948 Nov - 1948 Dec (8 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 7 1949 Jan - 1949 May (12 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 8 1949 Jun - 1949 Jul (14 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 9 1949 Aug - 1949 Oct (13 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 10 1949 Nov - 1949 Dec (6 items)
Oversize 1, Folder 11 1950 Jan - 1950 Feb (12 items)
Oversize 2, Folder 1 1950 Mar - 1950 Sep (14 items)
Oversize 2, Folder 2 1950 Oct - 1950 Dec (13 items)
Oversize 2, Folder 3 1951 Jan, 1951 Mar - 1951 May (10 items)
Oversize 2, Folder 4 1951 Jun - 1951 Oct (10 items)
Oversize 2, Folder 5 1951 Nov - 1951 Dec (13 items)
Oversize 2, Folder 6 1952 Jan - 1952 Feb (15 items)
Oversize 2, Folder 7 1952 Mar - 1952 May (14 items)
Oversize 2, Folder 8 1952 Jun - 1952 Aug (13 items)
Oversize 2, Folder 9 1952 Sep - 1952 Oct (11 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 1 1952 Nov - 1952 Dec (7 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 2 1953 Feb - 1953 May (11 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 3 1953 Jun - 1953 Aug (9 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 4 1953 Sep (9 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 5 1953 Oct - 1953 Nov (16 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 6 1953 Dec (4 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 7 1954 Jan - 1954 Feb (8 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 8 1954 Mar - 1954 May (8 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 9 1954 Sep- Oct; 1954 Dec (5 items)
Oversize 3, Folder 10 1955 Jan - 1955 Apr (10 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 1 1955 May - 1955 Sep (14 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 2 1955 Oct - 1955 Dec (11 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 3 1956 Jan - 1956 May (12 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 4 1956 Jun - 1956 Oct - contains 1 color cartoon drawn in watercolor and ink (12 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 5 1956 Nov - 1956 Dec (8 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 6 1957 Jan - 1957 Feb (15 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 7 1957 Mar - 1957 May (22 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 8 1957 Jun - 1957 Jul (14 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 9 1957 Aug - 1957 Sep (15 items)
Oversize 4, Folder 10 1957 Oct - 1957 Dec (11 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 1 1958 Jan - 1958 Apr, 1958 Jun - 1958 Jul (13 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 2 1958 Aug - 1958 Dec (16 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 3 1959 Jan - 1959 Mar (10 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 4 1959 May - 1959 Jul (14 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 5 1959 Aug, 1959 Oct - 1959 Dec (8 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 6 1960 Jan - 1960 Feb (13 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 7 1960 Apr - 1960 May (11 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 8 1960 Jun - 1960 Aug (14 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 9 1960 Sep - 1960 Oct (14 items)
Oversize 5, Folder 10 1960 Nov - 1960 Dec (8 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 1 1961 Jan - 1961 Apr (12 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 2 1961 May - 1961 Sep (12 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 3 1961 Nov - 1961 Dec (9 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 4 1960 Jan - 1960 Mar (17 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 5 1960 Apr - 1960 Jul (15 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 6 1962 Aug - 1962 Sep (12 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 7 1962 Oct - 1962 Dec (10 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 8 1963 Jan - 1963 Mar (10 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 9 1963 Apr - 1963 May (12 items)
Oversize 6, Folder 10 1963 Jun 1963 Aug (10 items)
Oversize 7, Folder 1 1963 Sep - 1963 Oct (11 items)
Oversize 7, Folder 2 1963 Nov - 1963 Dec (13 items)
Oversize 7, Folder 3 1964 Jan (21 items)
Oversize 7, Folder 4 1964 Feb (11 items)
Oversize 7, Folder 5 1964 Mar (13 items)
Oversize 7, Folder 6 1964 Apr (19 items)
Oversize 7, Folder 7 1964 May (13 items)
Oversize 7, Folder 8 1964 Jun (15 items)
Oversize 8, Folder 1 1964 Jul (12 items)
Oversize 8, Folder 2 1964 Aug (9 items)
Oversize 8, Folder 3 1964 Sep (12 items)
Oversize 8, Folder 4 1964 Oct (24 items)
Oversize 8, Folder 5 1964 Nov (12 items)
Oversize 8, Folder 6 1964 Dec (19 items)
Oversize 8, Folder 7 1965; undated (5 items)
Proofs 8 ½" x 12"
Box 1 1959 Jan - 1959 Oct
Box 1 1960 Apr
Box 1 1960 Jul
Box 1 1960 Sep
Box 1 1960 Dec
Box 1 1961 Jan - 1961 Dec
Box 1 1962 Jan - 1962 Dec
Box 2 1963 Jan - 1963 Dec
Box 2 1964 Jan - 1964 Dec
Correspondence
Box 2 1938-1945
Box 2 1939
Box 2 1940
Box 2 1941
Box 2 1942
Box 2 1943
Box 2 1944
Box 2 1945
Box 2 1947, 1950-1951, 1954-1955
Box 2 1957-1958
Box 2 1960-1961
Box 2 1964
Box 2 undated
Biographical material
Box 3 Biography; photographs 1966; undated - includes photograph of Werner's Pulitzer Prize winning cartoon
Box 3 Sigma Delta Chi Awards announcement (1961) ; Headliner Awards History (circa 1958 and 1959)
Box 3 Award Winners for Editors and Cartoonists- National Foundation for Highway Safety 1963
Werner's award winning cartoon is located in Box 7 Folder 2.
Printed material
Box 3 Tarantel Press (Berlin, Germany) syndication undated - 14 examples of Werner's work in German
Box 3 Quill and Scroll; Quill Feb/Mar 1954, May 1957
Box 3 Editor and Publisher 31 Oct 1959, 7 Nov 1959
Box 3 Clippings 1963-1964; undated -

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Index to cartoons

The following is a list of predominant people, places and subjects appearing in the editorial cartoons in this collection. The list is not exhaustive. Some subjects may require you to browse with alternative terms.

B= Box, F= Folder. For example: B1F1= Box 1 Folder 1.

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