The Art of Ill Will: The Story of American Political Cartoons

by Donald Dewey

2008 Association of American University Presses Award for Jacket Design

A comprehensive history of American political cartooning, complete with over 200 illustrations

The Art of Ill Will is a comprehensive history of American political cartooning, featuring over two hundred illustrations. From the colonial period to contemporary cartoonists like Pat Oliphant and Jimmy Margulies, Donald Dewey highlights these artists uncanny ability to encapsulate the essence of a situation and to steer the public mood with a single drawing and caption. Taking advantage of unlimited access to The Granger Collection, which holds thousands of the most significant works of Thomas Nast and the other early American cartoonists, The Art of Ill Will provides a survey of American history writ large, capturing the voice of the people―hopeful, angry, patriotic, frustrated―in times of peace and war, prosperity and depression.

Dewey tracks the cartoonists role as a jester with a serious brief. Ulysses S. Grant credited cartoonists with helping him win his election and was not the only president to feel that way; political bosses and even state legislatures have sought to ban cartoons when they endangered entrenched interests; General George Patton once promised to throw beloved wartime cartoonist Bill Mauldin in jail if he continued to spread dissent. (Mauldin later won the Pulitzer Prize.)

Despite the increasing threats they face as daily newspapers merge or vanish, cartoonists have given us some of our most memorable images, from Theodore Roosevelt’s pince-nez and mustache to Richard Nixon’s Pinocchio nose to Jimmy Carters Chiclet teeth. At a time when domestic and foreign political developments have made these artists more necessary than ever, The Art of Ill Will is a rich collection of the wickedly clever images that puncture pomposity and personalize American history.

Cartoonists Benjamin Franklin (whose Join, or Die was the first modern American political cartoon), the astoundingly prolific Thomas Nast, Puck magazine founder Joseph Keppler, Adalbert Volck, suffragist Laura Foster, Uncle Sam creator James Montgomery Flagg, Theodore Geisel departing from his Dr. Seuss persona to tackle World War II, Herbert Herblock Block (who so enraged Richard Nixon that the president canceled his subscription to the Washington Post), Daniel Fitzpatrick, Jules Feiffer, Paul Conrad, Gary Trudeau, and the controversial Ted Rall.

Genres: History, Comics, Nonfiction

251 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Michael Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been a big fan of political cartooning for a long time, dating from reading Pogo in the daily papers back in the 1950s, and acquiring Bill Mauldin’s two published wartime collections when I was in college. Dewey is a general writer of popular nonfiction, not a specialist in this field, but he does a moderately good job of surveying the history of the editorial cartoonist’s art in U.S. history, from Ben Franklin and Paul Revere and Thomas Nast to Herblock and Pat Oliphant and Gary Trudeau. He seeks not only to present telling examples of each artist’s work but also each man’s influence, why those being lampooned sometimes tried to bring pressure to bear (Patton hated Mauldin and many papers relegated Doonesbury to the editorial section under pressure from advertisers -- and some still do), and how the public’s attitudes changed over time. There are some reservations, however. First, not all artists lived or worked in New York or Washington, but you would think so from the selection in this book. Second, he doesn’t seem to quite “get it” when he’s discussing certain periods of American history, especially the age of imperialist expansion at the turn of the 20th century. (Maybe because, as noted, he’s not an historian.) Many of the drawings in the very lengthy introduction are too small to read the text, but don’t worry -- they all seem to appear again in the body of the book, which is divided into thematic chapters.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's fascinating to study the political cartoons of yesteryear. What's remarkable is how quickly we forget the social context that gives rise to the cartoon, and so how quickly it loses its meaning. This survey of American political cartoons from Ben Franklin's famous snake -- unite or die -- calling for concerted political action from all the colonies -- to Doonesbury is a wonderful survey of American political history. Did you know that a political cartoon predicted the great stock market crash of 1929?

[Jill Joiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of Ill Will is a good historical synopsis of political cartoons in the United States. It is not a complete history but is a good reference starting point for those such as myself who are interested the subject. We see our selves move and evolve beyond some subjects and doomed to repeat others

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unless you are *really* interrested in the history of political cartoons, you might skip the introduction and go straight to the cartoons themselves.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, especially to read during a presidential election. It's weird to see Dr. Seuss cartoons about Hitler.

[Mike Horne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love cartoons. But this was not very insightful. And no great cartoons.