Herblock's Presidents: "Puncturing Pomposity"

May 2, 2008 - November 30, 2008

"The political cartoon is not a  news story and not an oil portrait. It's essentially a means for poking fun, for  puncturing pomposity."

--- Herbert Block, 1977

The political cartoons of Herbert Lawrence Block—who drew under the pen name "Herblock"—appeared in American newspapers for more than seven decades. His particular interest in depicting American presidents was featured in this exhibition that displayed Block's presidential cartoons that appeared in the Washington Post for fifty-six years. The exhibition included his depictions of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. The show offered a rare opportunity for visitors to see how one of America's greatest political cartoonists viewed the American presidency for most of the twentieth century.

View the online exhibition