Edwin Willard Deming (1860-1942) was an American sculptor, illustrator and writer who lived among Native American tribes when he was young and then dedicated his career to artistically recording and portraying them accurately and with dignity. The collection consists of his correspondence, drawings, sketches, and paintings, as well as anthropological and linguistic material, notes and other documentation of tribes he visited or lived with.

Ax 595

Guide to the Edwin Deming papers

The Price of Freedom

Stop by the SCUA hallway today to see some great examples from our collection of original artwork for editorial cartoons. These are poster-sized work, inked onto card stock, from the days when all the drawing, lettering and inking was done by hand.

Many of the visitors to this exhibit come away shaking their heads, because it can seem as if nothing much has changed over the years.  In 1932, Quincy Scott (1882-1965) was worried about Oregon voters who weren’t paying attention to the measures on the ballot. In “The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance,” the background to the conversation shown here has a scene from the Revolutionary War, “1776: We fight for the right to govern ourselves. 1932: We govern ourselves.” Scott  was the editorial cartoonist for The Oregonian from  1931-1949.

We also hold work by Homer Davenport (1867-1912) of Silverton, Oregon, who became the most highly paid political cartoonist of his time. Davenport started at the Portland Mercury, moved to the San Francisco Examiner, and then was hired by William Randolph Hearst for the New York Journal. Davenport’s attacks on the McKinley campaign and their ties to big business. These cartoons enraged his critics so much that they attempted to pass an anti-cartoon bill through the New York legislature in 1897, but Davenport’s public supporters defeated the legislation.

Compare these cartoons to those you see in today’s newspapers, and you’ll see one huge difference: the amount of text. The visual literacy expectations for the public were much lower, so everything was labeled to make sure the meaning was clear. Here you can see that the Ancient Mariner embodies “Depression Complex” and his deadly weapon is “Voting Without Thinking.” (The dead albatross is “Actual Progress Toward Recovery by the Hoover Administration.”) The title of the cartoon is “The Ancient Marine Made a Mistake.”

Bullfrog Information Service was a magazine published in Eugene, Oregon, from June, 1971 till February, 1972, that focused on news and articles for and about the Northwest alternative community. The collection contains correspondence, advertising and distribution records, eight published issues and one unpublished, original illustrations and advertising art, financial records, and unpublished articles and poetry.

Call number: Bx 166

Guide to Bullfrog Information Service Records

Nancy Gurney (1915-1974) was a writer of children’s books. The collection includes illustrations and manuscripts that reflect her work and collaboration with her husband, Eric Gurney.

Call number: A 310

Guide to the Nancy Gurney Papers

Collection comprises papers of American author Mary Jane Carr, and includes draft manuscripts of two books; proofs, illustrations by Robert Kuhn, and correspondence relating to the books, including material from Walt Disney Productions; two puppet plays by Carr; poems; engraving plates; fan letters; and miscellaneous materials.

Call number: Ax 121

Guide to the Mary Jane Carr Papers

Clarence Peter Helck (1893-1988) was a writer and illustrator who became most known for his automobile and racecar illustrations. The collection contains manuscripts, correspondence, and research files mainly concerning two books, “The Checkered Flag” and “Great Auto Races,” and five framed car racing prints.

Call number: Coll 181

Guide to the C. Peter Helck Papers

Elizabeth Orton Jones (1910-2005) was an illustrator and writer of children’s books. The collection consists of an oral history interview of Jones conducted in the fall of 2004 by members of the staff of Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries: Linda Long, Dorothy Knaus, and Hannah Dillon. The collection consists of audio cassette tapes, video cassette tapes, and a complete printed and bound transcript of the interview.

Call number: Coll 319

Guide to the Oral Memoirs of Elizabeth Orton Jones

Eloise Wilkin (1904-1987) was a writer and illustrator of children’s books. The collection contains documents relating to the book illustrated by Wilkin, The Visit, and includes correspondence, illustrations, a draft of the manuscript, photographs, a layout of the book, a press release, original artwork, and a bound copy of the book.

Call number: Coll 213

Guide to the Eloise Wilkin Papers

Will B. Nickless (1902-1979) was greatly known for his illustrations of characters from English classics. The collection includes various sketches, watercolor paintings, ink drawings, Christmas cards, and one letter.

Call number: Ax 863

Guide to the Will Nickless Papers

Lynd Ward was an artist and children’s book author. The Lynd Ward Papers comprise incoming and outgoing correspondence to and from Carley Dawson, and outgoing correspondence to a Mr. Rohde. The collection also includes various notes, correspondence, manuscripts, sketches, copies of sketches, and illustrations for books, magazines, and brochures that Lynd Ward illustrated.

Call number: Ax 724

Guide to the Lynd Ward Papers