Resource Toolkit for History Staff

Use the search function to look for particular images housed in the Library of Congress. These include photographic prints, as well as illustrations and cartoons. Alternatively, scroll through the collections to choose cartoon collections.

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum houses the world's largest collection of materials related to cartoons and comics. Some of the collection can be searched and viewed online.

A collection of 2,400 original pen-and-ink drawings by Clifford K. Berryman from the U.S. Senate Collection is housed at the Center for Legislative Archives. Berryman was Washington's best known and most-admired graphic commentator on politics in the first half of the 20th century.

Use this page to search for a particular cartoon or browse the collection.

A collection of cartoons from the New Yorker published over the last 90 years. While these need to be paid for, you can search for cartoons and at least get an idea of the cartoons that exist.

Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel, 1904-1991) was a life-long cartoonist: in high school in Springfield, Massachusetts; in college at Dartmouth (Class of 1925); as an adman in New York City before World War II; in his many children's books. For two years, 1941-1943, he was the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM (1940-1948), and for that journal he drew over 400 editorial cartoons.
The Dr. Seuss Collection in the Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of California, San Diego, contains the original drawings and/or newspaper clippings of all of these cartoons.

Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling worked as a cartoonist for most of the first half of the 20th Century. He started his career at the Sioux City Journal, and in 1906 began working at the Des Moines Register and Leader. He subsequently worked for the New York Globe and the New York Herald Tribune.

A great resource from Ohio State University that groups select cartoons thematically to encourage student analysis of political cartoons. Has units (with cartoons) on WWII, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Treaty of Versailles and more.

Political cartoons from Harper's Weekly, Leslie Illustrated Weekly, Vanity Fair, Puck, Judge and the Library of Congress Collection. It provides explanations of the historical context and images of each cartoon.

Thomas Nast (1840-1902) is best known for his illustrations and cartoons that were published in Harper’s Weekly’s Journal of Civilization. Nast is most associated with his depictions of “Boss Tweed” and “Santa Claus” and for his development and popularization of the donkey and elephant as political party symbols. More recently, “bigot” emerges as an identifier, due to a large number of anti-Irish, anti-Catholic cartoons he produced.

For recent political cartoons on matters in the USA or current international issues.

The British Cartoon Archive is dedicated to the history of British cartooning over the last two hundred years. The BCA holds the artwork for over 200,000 British editorial, socio-political, and pocket cartoons, supported by large collections of comic strips, newspaper cuttings, books and magazines.

Punch, a magazine of humour and satire, ran from 1841-2002. A very British institution renowned internationally for its wit and irreverence, it introduced the term 'cartoon' as we know it today and published the works of great comic writers and poets such as W.M. Thackeray, Mayhew, P.G. Wodehouse, Sir John Betjeman, Alan Coren and Miles Kington amongst others.

Search the online collection from The British Museum for cartoons. Use the search function to look for a particular topic or enter 'cartoon' to bring up their digitised cartoons. Also check the 'images only' box for images.

British website of the Political Cartoon Society contains digital works from their London based gallery. Specific cartoons from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Russia as well as articles on political cartoon history are accessible on this site.

Housed in the Bodleian Library, Oxford University. A limited collection, with limited explanation of each cartoon. However, they look to be adding more so it may be worthwhile to check out in the future.

An article published in the Belgium Journal of Geography on the history of cartoon maps as commentary on European affairs.

A selection of cartoons from the National Library of Australia. Topics include transportation to Australia, colonial Australia, war and political leaders.

Search the online collection of the State Library of NSW. A number of cartoons are housed in their collection.

Use Trove to search Australian and online books, images, historic newspapers, maps, music, archives and more. Managed by the National Library of Australia.

An article with references to Australian cartoons depicting the Vietnam War. Published by the National Vietnam Veterans Museum.

Cartoon analysis guidance provided by John Curtin University. For Stage 5 and 6 History.

Another guided analysis activity from John Curtin University.

Resources and student activities created by the Museum of Australian Democracy, Canberra.

A guide from the North Carolina History Online Resource.

An essay exploring the place of the cartoon in critiquing history. Authored by Roy Douglas of the Political Cartoon Society.

Project from MIT called Visualising Cultures. Comprises of turn of the century cartoons and commentary.
Western expansionism and the narrative of bringing “civilization” to the “barbarians” was a popular subject in political cartoons in the late-19th century. Fueled by trade and economic incentives, the civilizing mission was carried out in brief, bloody wars that were, the graphics show, deeply controversial. The sources for this unit are political cartoons (1898 to 1902) from illustrated magazines published in New York City—including Judge, Puck, Harper’s Weekly, and Life—and French and German cartoons.