Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Blog

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2019

Ollie Harrington Collection Acquired by Ohio State’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum has acquired a rare collection of materials by the late Oliver “Ollie” Harrington. Arriving from Germany, Ollie Harrington’s collection includes original published cartoons, along with roughs, sketchbooks and other archival materials.

“Ollie Harrington was an incredibly talented cartoonist, and we are honored to house a collection of his artwork and archives here at The Ohio State University. I hope that by making these materials available, more people will be able to study and appreciate his impressive work,” said Jenny Robb, Curator and Associate Professor.

Harrington was born in Valhalla, NY on February 14, 1912. Channeling his experiences with racism, he began drawing in his youth as a way to vent his frustrations with a viciously racist sixth grade teacher. He went on after high school to attend Yale for a degree in Fine Arts, earning his B.F.A. in 1940. Having been inspired by – and later involved with – the Harlem Renaissance, Harrington published cartoons in a number of Black and leftist newspapers, including The Amsterdam News and The Chicago Defender. The Pittsburgh Courier sent him to Europe and North Africa as a war correspondent. He chronicled the efforts of Black military personnel, including the Tuskegee Airmen; and his biting criticism of fighting in Europe over rights that were denied Blacks back home in the U.S. attracted the attention of the NAACP’s Walter White for whom he worked in 1946. Best known for his series Bootsie (originally titled Dark Laughter), an African American male who would make pointed criticisms of the world around him, Harrington continued with his work, even after leaving the United States due to the scrutiny he was under by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the early 1950s.

Harrington was a noted scholar as well as an outspoken artist unafraid to confront racism. He expatriated to Paris in 1951 but subsequently moved to East Germany in 1961 when he suspected the sudden death of his friend Richard Wright was an assassination. Harrington was also a well-noted author who talked about his experiences in his book Why I Left America and Other Essays (1993). The materials received by the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum from his widow, Helma Harrington, illustrate Harrington’s keen eye toward criticizing the U.S. government and capitalism as well as issues of racism and Apartheid. One rough drawing in particular – a book on how to disenfranchise American minorities with a stack of books including the U.S. constitution precariously balanced on top of it – is so relevant to our current cultural climate that it could be published today.

This collection is a window into the work Harrington did after he left the United States, showcasing how his viewpoint towards the injustices of the world never wavered even after he left America’s shores. We are thrilled to have this slice of history as part of our collections, and look forward to making this material available to scholars everywhere.

–Dr. Kay Clopton, Mary P. Key Diversity Resident Librarian: Cultural Diversity Inquiry at The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

Click images in gallery to enlarge:

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2019

Archie artist Dan DeCarlo’s Collection Donated to Ohio State’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

COLUMBUS, OH – We are delighted to announce the acquisition of the Dan DeCarlo Collection, which includes dozens of complete original Archie Comics stories from Betty and Me, Betty & Veronica, Veronica, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, Cheryl Blossom, and Jughead among others. Most of the stories were printed in the 1980s and early 1990s, with some having been drawn by his twin sons Dan and James. The collection also contains original drawings of various Archie characters as well as some of DeCarlo’s early pin-up work from Humorama magazine.

“I would like to thank Mr. DeCarlo’s granddaughters Jessica and Christie DeCarlo for donating this wonderful collection, as well as Bill Morrison, who was instrumental in preserving the materials and arranging for the collection to come to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum,” said Jenny Robb, head curator.  “These iconic characters are an important part of our popular culture history and continue to resonate with audiences today.”

Dan DeCarlo was born in 1919 in New Rochelle, NY. While attending The Art Students League of New York with hopes of pursuing a career as an illustrator, he was drafted to serve in World War II. He spent part of his time in the service painting company mascots on the nose of planes as well as working on a weekly military comic strip. After his time abroad, he met his wife Josie Dumont, and began working freelance for a number of companies including Humorama magazines as well as several comic books with Stan Lee. When he was later hired on to work on Archie, he was allowed to adapt the series to his style. He established Betty’s iconic ponytail and is largely credited with the “house style” of the Archie characters that persisted until the end of the original run in 2016. DeCarlo is also the creator of Josie and the Pussycats, and co-creator of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Cheryl Blossom.

The Josie series began as She’s Josie before being renamed Josie, and finally landing on Josie and the Pussycats in 1969. Valerie, one of the members of the Pussycats, became the first African American character in Archie comics history (predating Chuck Clayton and his father by a couple of years), as well as the first African American character featured in Saturday Morning cartoons.

Not only did DeCarlo name Josie after his wife, but her iconic hairstyle from the 1960s and her cat suit costume for the band came from Josie DeCarlo as well. DeCarlo’s twin sons also worked for the company in the 1980s but both preceded their father in death; Dan Jr. Died of cancer in 1990, and James died from complications from a stroke in 1991, giving a special importance to pieces donated to The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum labeled “Art by DeCarlo Sr. and Sons”.

Bill Morrison, former Simpson’s editor and cartoonist said of DeCarlo’s legacy, “Until recently, Dan DeCarlo was one of the most overlooked and underrated cartoonists of the 20th Century. I wrote a book on Dan’s art in 2006, and since then I have seen his original art and the comics he drew skyrocket in value. Today his work is some of the most sought-after art on the market. I’m proud and pleased to have been able to help shepherd the DeCarlo family’s collection to its home at the Billy Ireland Museum where the world can experience its brilliance.”

This collection provides an excellent representation of the trajectory of Dan DeCarlo’s career, and also highlights how his clean line style meshed well with the changing fashions in contemporary culture.

–Dr. Kay Clopton, Mary P. Key Diversity Resident Librarian: Cultural Diversity Inquiry at The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

 

Check out a sampling below of just a few of the fabulous title pages included in the collection!