2020-01-03 Guide to the Patrick McDonnell and Karen O'Connell Collection of George Herriman Research, 1906-2001 SPEC.CGA.PMK Finding aid prepared by BICLM Staff Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
November 2019 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2020-09-24T14:53-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Patrick McDonnell and Karen O'Connell Collection of George Herriman Research SPEC.CGA.PMK Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 3.3 Cubic feet (5 boxes) Bulk, 1980-1986 1906-2001 This collection contains research materials on the comic feature Krazy Kat, along with the life and career of artist George Herriman, correpondence with scholars, book production information created by Patrick McDonnell and Karen O'Connell as they wrote the book, "Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman." 5 boxes; (2) legal document boxes and (3) flat boxes English McDonnell, Patrick, 1956- O'Connell, Karen Arrangement of Materials

This collection is arranged in 4 series:

Series 1: Karzy Kat Research Series 2: Correspondence Series 3: Book Reviews for "Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman". Series 4: Book Production Materials

 Acquisitions Information

CGA.PMK.2014: Patrick McDonnell and Karen O'Connell, 2014

 Preferred Citation

[Box Number/ Folder Number], [identification of item], Patrick McDonnell and Karen O'Connell Collection of George Herriman Research, SPEC.CGA.PM, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Ohio State University

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum] reading room only. To request materials in this finding aid, please contact the reading room 614-292-6369 or email cartoons@osu.edu

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

BICLM Staff, January, 2015.

 Historical Note

The book, "Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman," by Patrick McDonnell and Karen O'Connell was originally published in 1986. This comprehensive collection chronicles the popular comic strip, Krazy Kat by George Herriman. The strip ran from 1913 until Herriman's death in 1944. Krazy Kat focuses on a cat named Krazy, a mouse named Ignatz, along with other animal characters. Krazy has an unrequired love for Ignatiz who despises the cat. Ignatz throws bricks at Krazy, in which the cat interprests as a sign of Ignatz's affection. Another character, a dog named, Officer Bull Pupp protects Krazy from Ignatz's attacks. The artist of the strip, George Herriman was born in 1880 in New Orleans, Louisiana and grew up in Los Angeles, California. Herriman became a cartoonist whose work appears in publications such as Judge, New York Daily News, New York World, Los Angeles Times, and others. He also created several syndicated comic strips prior to the creation of Krazy Kat. He dies in 1944, aged 63 in Los Angeles.

Patrick McDonnell and Karen O'Connell's book compiled a large portion of Herriman's comic strips to explore the surreal world of Krazy Kat. They also completed original research to trace Herriman's career and the public's reception to his works.

 Scope and Contents

The Patrick McDonnell and Karen O'Connell Collection of George Herriman Research includes research materials on the comic feature Krazy Kat, along with the life and career of artist George Herriman, correpondence with scholars created during writing of the book "Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman. The collection includes Krazy Kat comic strip strip clipping and materials related to the prodcution of the book production along with press reviews about the book.

 Related Materials

McDonnell and O'Connell's book "Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman" is available in the Ohio State Libraries catalog through this link.

Miscellaneous clippings about George Herriman may be found in the Library's biography file under his last name.

Original art by George Herriman, including original Krazy Kat art, can be found in the Original Art Database.

Books written by George Herriman and books about Krazy Kat and George Herriman can be found in the Library's catalog.

 Herriman, George, 1880-1944 Krazy Kat (Fictitious character) Krazy Kat Research, Bulk, 1980-1986 1906-2001 Krazy Kat research materials, PMK 1 1 1960s-1980s "Krazy Kat" a jazz pantomine, photocopied score and program, PMK 1 2 1922 Krazy Kat promotional materials, PMK 1 4 1980s Other people's thoughts on Krazy Kat, PMK 1 3 1940s-2000s George Herriman biographical research, PM 1 5 1980s Photographs of George Herriman's house in Los Angeles, PMK 1 6 August 9, 1985 Krazy Kat comic strip clippings, PMK 1 7 1926 Krazy Kat comic strip clippings, PMK 1 8 1926-1927 Krazy Kat comic strip clippings, PMK 1 9 1927-1932 Krazy Kat comic strip clippings, PMK 1 10 1932 Krazy Kat comic strip clippings, PMK 1 11 1932 Articles about Krazy Kat, PMK 3 1 1944-2000 Patrick McDonnell's Krazy Kat research photocopies and notes, PMK 3 2 undated Notes on other's thoughts about Krazy Kat, PMK 3 3-4 1970s-1980s; undated (2 folders) Research materials photocopies and notes, PMK 3 5 1980s Krazy Kat tearsheets and comic strip clippings, PMK 3 6 1915-1921 Krazy Kat tearsheets and comic strip clippings, PMK 3 7 1921-1925 Krazy Kat tearsheets and comic strip clippings, PMK 3 8 1932 Krazy Kat tearsheets and comic strip clippings, PMK 3 9 1932; 1938; undated Krazy Kat comic strip reprints and photocopies, PMK 3 10 1920s-1940s Herriman biographical information, photocopies, notes, photocopied images, PMK 4 1 1940s; undated Krazy Kat comics, photocopies and reproductions, PMK 5 1 1944; undated Krazy Kat comics, photocopies and reproductions, PMK 5 2 1940-1944 Krazy Kat comics, photocopies and reproductions, PMK 5 3 1919-1939 Krazy Kat comics, photocopies and reproductions, PMK 5 4 1910-1919 Other Herriman art (not Krazy Kat) photocopies and reproductions, PMK 5 5-6 1906-1919 (2 Folders) Correspondence, Bulk, 1982-1984 1970s-2001 Correspondence to Karen O'Connell and Patrick McDonnell on Krazy Kat and George Herriman, PMK 1 12 1982-1984 Harry N. Abrams, Inc publisher correspondence, PMK 1 13 1983-1988; undated Correspondence, PMK 2 1 undated Correspondence, PMK 2 2 1985-2001 Krazy Kat research correspondence, PMK 2 3 1970s-1980s Book Reviews for "Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman," 1986 Book reviews and press, PMK 2 4-7 1986 4 folders Book reviews and press, clippings, tearsheets, magazines, pamphlets, and articles, PMK 4 2 1986 Book Production Materials, 1983-1988 Photographs of Krazy Kat artwork, PMK 2 8 undated Photocopies of Herriman drawings from book, PMK 2 9 1988 Legal agreements, PMK 2 10 1983-1986 Mock-ups of book, camera ready images, book proposal PMK 4 3 1980s Oversized book proofs, PMK 5 7 1980s