Charles Henry "Bill" Sykes Editorial Cartoon Collection
Charles Henry "Bill" Sykes (1882-1942) was a well respected editorial cartoonist whose work appeared in a number of periodicals including newspapers in Philadelphia. Special Collections and Archives acquired this collection of original ca. 1940 drawings in 1980.
Born in Athens, Alabama in 1882, Sykes graduated from Philadelphia's
Drexel Institute in 1904. For a short time he did free-lance art work
and then was employed by the Philadelphia North American, the Williamsport
News, and the Nashville Banner. In 1911, he returned to Philadelphia
to work for the Philadelphia Public Ledger. In 1914, he became the
first and only editorial cartoonist employed by the Evening Public
Ledger, until it ceased publication in 1942. Before he died later in
that year, Sykes, who smoked four packages of cigarettes a day, received
a commission to draw a series of anti-smoking advertisements. From
1922 to 1928, he was the regular editorial cartoonist for LIFE, producing
full-page weekly editorial cartoons. In addition, during that time,
Sykes inherited the weekly and annual cartoon roundup of news subjects
upon the death of F. T. Richards. He was a consistent contributor to
Collier's and his cartoons have appeared in the New York Evening Post.
His most famous cartoon "Madonna and Child A. D. 1940" depicts
the ugliness of war; the image shows a mother and child wearing gas
masks.
Sykes created his early cartoons using the unusual patterns of coquille
board for the shading effect. His later works were created with a crayon
and wash technique. His cartoons were usually funny, filled with delightfully
distorted figures while offering his unique perspective on the current
news events.
The collection consists of 298 original editorial cartoons, three unfinished
sketches, an U.S. War Bond poster, and a U. S. Victory poster by Sykes
that were acquired in 1980. The cartoons appeared in the Philadelphia
Evening Ledger and illustrate the events of 1940 with a focus on American
reaction to the aggressions of the Axis powers before the U.S. entry
into World War II. Other topics represented include: John L. Lewis
and coal miners, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania politics, the Turner-Kilroy
Bill, and baseball.
Guide to the Charles Henry "Bill" Sykes Collection of Political Cartoons