Scope and Content Note
The papers of Herbert Lawrence Block (1909-2001) span the years 1863-2002, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1945-2001. The papers chiefly document Block's career as the political cartoonist “Herblock” for the Washington Postand as author of several books and complement the Herblock material in the Herbert L. Block Collection in the Prints and Photographs Division. The papers are organized in the following series: Correspondence File, Writings File, Miscellany, 2016 Addtion, and Oversize .
The Correspondence File represents Block's work with the Washington Post from 1946 to 2001 and contains letters exchanged with friends, cartoonists, editors, politicians, Supreme Court justices, government officials, publishers, journalists, activists, admirers, and detractors. Notable among the correspondents are cartoonists Tom Engelhardt, Chuck Jones, and Vaughan Shoemaker, who together reflect the breadth of Block's career, from his early work with the Chicago Daily Newsto his last days with the Washington Post. Their numerous exchanges with Block discuss various aspects of cartooning, colleagues, professional associations, politics, mutual admiration, and family and social activities. The file also includes material submitted by novice cartoonists who sought Block's advice or approbation. Other cartoonists represented in the correspondence include Tony Auth, Milton Caniff, John R. Fischetti, Draper Hill, Irving Hoffman (1909-1968), Lynn Franks Johnston, Walt Kelly, Jeff MacNelly, Robert Chesley Osborn, Walt Partymiller, and Ann Telnaes. Block's professional association with the owners and staff of the Washington Post is documented in the letters of Alan Barth, Benjamin C. Bradlee, William E. Gold, Philip L. Graham, Eugene Meyer, and Agnes Elizabeth Ernst Meyer, and notes and letters from Donald E. Graham and Katharine Graham also highlight personal relationships. His association with other journalists and editors is documented in exchanges with Frederick G. Blumenthal, Irving Dilliard, Anthony Lewis, Charles Peters (1926- ), and Roger Rosenblatt.
Block's political inclinations are evinced in correspondence with lobbyists and activists such as W. H. Ferry, Wesley McCune, Joseph L. Rauh, and Maurice Rosenblatt, and by his activities documented in letters with related organizations. Similarly, numerous Democratic Party members are represented in the file primarily thanking Block for editorial support on various issues and congratulating him on his achievements. However, politicians from across the political spectrum routinely asked for autographed reprints of his cartoons. These admirers included Presidents Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald R. Ford, and Bill Clinton, who awarded Block the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. Social activities among Washington's political and cultural circles are indicated by the many invitations he received. A small grouping of special correspondence contains readers' comments on cartoons or political issues, suggestions or ideas for cartoons, and book proposals from the late 1940s.
The Writings File chiefly contains drafts, galleys, notes, cartoon reproductions, correspondence, background material, and other items related to various stages of production of Block's books. Typically, drafts were circulated among staff at the Washington Post for comments. Notable is the research material collected for his memoirs, Herblock: A Cartoonist's Life, which spans his entire career and includes reproductions of many early cartoons arranged by images depicted, subject, United States presidents, and date. The file also contains material related to abandoned book projects including “Herblock in Bush Country,” “A Herblock Reader,” and “What's Going on Here?” Material in the Writings File relating to speeches, interviews, and events contains drafts, printed copies, notes, correspondence, photographs, and related items. Notable are copies of speeches from the 1950s and an interview by Katharine Graham conducted in January 1990. Also in this file are copies of Block's essays and his letters to editors.
The Miscellany series contains an extensive clippings file ranging over Block's entire career and documenting his earliest achievements as a student. In a file of printed matter, his military service is represented by copies of the base newspaper he edited in Orlando, Florida, and copies of the Army Clip Sheet and Newsmap that he composed while stationed in New York City. A large file of cartoon reprints organized by subject and date is also in the series. Material related to Block's request for information from files kept on him by the Federal Bureau of Investigation contains correspondence, legal documents, and copies of bureau documents released to him. A small amount of printed matter relates to his work with the Newspaper Enterprise Association in Cleveland in the 1930s.
The2016 Addition spans the years from 1928-2001, with the bulk of the material dating from 1933 to 1960. Papers in the addition complement the initial portion of the collection and relate to Block's career as a political cartoonist. The addition is arranged into three groups: correspondence file, miscellany, and writings file. The majority of the 2016 Addition consists of general correspondence from friends, cartoonists, editors, and publishers, chronicling the early part of Block's career. Also found in the general correspondence are congratulatory letters relating to Block winning the Pulitizer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1942 and letters pertaining to his activities in 1945 as editor of the Army Clip Sheet. Represented as well are family letters from Block's parents, David Julian Block and Theresa Lupe Block, and his brothers, Richard M. Block ("Rich") and William J. Block ("Bill"). The family correspondence includes information about family and local news with some references to national politics and World War II.