Making Fun of the President
Political cartoons are almost as old as newspapers. And poking fun of presidents, political leaders and politics is a mainstay of humor today.
Three-time Pulitzer prize winning cartoonist Herbert Block (”Herblock”), cartooned about politics starting with his first cartoon that appeared in the Chicago Daily News, back in 1929. The topics he covered early in his career included the aggressive pre-WW-II stance of the USSR and the growing concern of the rise of Nazi Germany.
In 1946, immediately after serving in WW-II, he joined the staff of the Washington Post where he worked until his death in 2001, at the age of 91.
In 1950, he coined the word “McCarthyism” in one of his cartoons against Senator Joseph McCarthy’s communist witch hunt.
At an exhibit of 40 original drawings by Herblock along with his first Pulitzer Prize from 1942 are on display at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibit, Herblock’s Presidents: “Puncturing Pomposity” cover seven decades of presidential cartoons, from Franklin Roosevelt through Bill Clinton. An additional 120 cartoons are available from an on-site interactive kiosk.
It proves that the same issues - inflation, the economy, war,
Herblock’s Presidents: Puncturing Pomposity
National Portrait Gallery
Eighth and F Streets, NW,
Washington, DC 
20001 (map it)
Hours - Daily 11:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., through November 30, 2008
Admission - Free
Nearest Metro subway station
Parking - Metered street and paid garage parking is available in the area.
Images: from personal collection - ©2008, Jon Rochetti
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