Communications

Tools of communication have transformed American society time and again over the past two centuries. The Museum has preserved many instruments of these changes, from printing presses to personal digital assistants.

The collections include hundreds of artifacts from the printing trade and related fields, including papermaking equipment, wood and metal type collections, bookbinding tools, and typesetting machines. Benjamin Franklin is said to have used one of the printing presses in the collection in 1726.

More than 7,000 objects chart the evolution of electronic communications, including the original telegraph of Samuel Morse and Alexander Graham Bell's early telephones. Radios, televisions, tape recorders, and the tools of the computer age are part of the collections, along with wireless phones and a satellite tracking system.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
GA.06566.07
catalog number
06566.07
accession number
19048
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
GA.06566.02
catalog number
06566.02
accession number
19048
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
GA.06566.08
catalog number
06566.08
accession number
19048
Unknown artist, about 1894“Cheyenne Picture. Warrior Killing a Soldier.”Ink and watercolorThis drawing shows the victory of a Cheyenne warrior over a U.S. Army soldier.
Description
Unknown artist, about 1894
“Cheyenne Picture. Warrior Killing a Soldier.”
Ink and watercolor
This drawing shows the victory of a Cheyenne warrior over a U.S. Army soldier. The artist depicts the warrior counting coup on his enemy by touching the fallen soldier with his riding whip (quirt). Counting coup - in this instance touching an adversary in battle - was considered an act of bravery that could gain war honors. This single event took place during a larger battle against many adversaries, as indicated by the large number of rifles at the left.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1875
date made
ca 1894
original artist
unknown
ID Number
GA.08111
accession number
1897.031963
catalog number
GA*08111
accession number
1897.31963
This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Short Ribs comic strip shows the wedding of Gert and a younger, attractive man who appears to have been the victim of a spell.Frank O’Neal (1921-1986) sold his first cartoon to the Saturday Evening Post in 1950.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Short Ribs comic strip shows the wedding of Gert and a younger, attractive man who appears to have been the victim of a spell.
Frank O’Neal (1921-1986) sold his first cartoon to the Saturday Evening Post in 1950. In 1958 he debuted his Short Ribs comic strip and continued to draw the strip until 1973. His assistant, Frank Hill, then took over the strip and O’Neal spent the rest of his career creating advertising art.
Short Ribs (1958-1982) was a strip without a regular cast or a continuous setting. With some frequency, however, the strip took place in a castle in Medieval Europe. Other locations included Ancient Egypt or the American West. The storylines regularly made references to 20th-century events.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-04-17
graphic artist
O'Neal, Frank
publisher
NEA, Inc.
ID Number
GA.22568
catalog number
22568
accession number
277502
Unknown artist, about 1868“Drawing made by a Kiowa Indian”(Title given by collector Dr. Edward Palmer)Media: Pencil on paperThis Kiowa Indian drawing was likely prepared and collected in 1868 at the Kiowa and Comanche Agency in present-day Oklahoma.
Description
Unknown artist, about 1868
“Drawing made by a Kiowa Indian”
(Title given by collector Dr. Edward Palmer)
Media: Pencil on paper
This Kiowa Indian drawing was likely prepared and collected in 1868 at the Kiowa and Comanche Agency in present-day Oklahoma. Non-Indians were known to have offered paper and illustrating equipment to Plains Indians as early as the 1830s. The drawing displays a Kiowa warrior’s head and neck ornament (possibly a peace medal), and his leg sashes.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
ca 1869
ca 1882
original artist
unknown
ID Number
2008.0175.51
catalog number
2008.0175.051
accession number
2008.0175
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Dotty Dripple comic strip shows the title character’s son rushing back to college, leaving her with empty-nest syndrome.Buford Tune (1906-1989) started working as an assistant to the art editor of the New York Post in 1927.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Dotty Dripple comic strip shows the title character’s son rushing back to college, leaving her with empty-nest syndrome.
Buford Tune (1906-1989) started working as an assistant to the art editor of the New York Post in 1927. One of his first assignments was to revive an old family comic strip called Doings of the Duffs. After a brief hiatus Tune returned to comic strip production in 1931. He created Dotty Dripple in 1944.
Dotty Dripple (1944-1974) was a domestic humor-themed comic strip like the popular Blondie strip. Dottie was described as a typical housewife responsible for her children, Taffy and Wilbert; her dog, Pepper; and her husband, Horace. Part of the running humor of the strip was that Horace was often seen behaving like a child himself. Between 1946 and 1955 the strip was also sold in comic book form by Harvey Comics.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-09-12
graphic artist
Tune, Buford
publisher
Publishers Newspapers Syndicate, Inc.
ID Number
GA.22530
catalog number
22530
accession number
277502
A signed pencil study which is similar to the drawing GA*16627Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A signed pencil study which is similar to the drawing GA*16627
Location
Currently not on view
original artist
Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome
ID Number
GA.16628
catalog number
16628
accession number
119780
Mostly Malarky was created and drawn by Wallace "Wally" Carlson (1884-1967) and distributed by The Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate from the 1950s until 1966. The comic features gag-joke panels.
Description
Mostly Malarky was created and drawn by Wallace "Wally" Carlson (1884-1967) and distributed by The Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate from the 1950s until 1966. The comic features gag-joke panels. In this comic, Dolly is talking to Wilbur, who is covered in various casts and bandages. The caption reads, "I'm glad you're finally making use of your hospitalization insurance, Wilbur."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
undated
graphic artist
Carlson, W. A.
publisher
Tribune Printing Company
ID Number
GA.22388
catalog number
22388
accession number
277502
This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Moon Mullins comic strip shows Mullins going to a therapist because he's being seen as procrastinating at work. The session is unsuccessful, however, as Mullins persists in his easygoing work habits.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Moon Mullins comic strip shows Mullins going to a therapist because he's being seen as procrastinating at work. The session is unsuccessful, however, as Mullins persists in his easygoing work habits. Included in this story board is Ferd Johnson's "topper" strip Kitty Higgins, about the young and clever girl who later became a Moon Mullins character.
Ferdinand "Ferd" Johnson (1905-1996) took a job in 1923 assisting on Frank Willard's new comic strip Moon Mullins. In 1925 Johnson started drawing his own Sunday comic called Texas Slim, and a few years later he launched Lovey-Dovey. In 1958 Johnson took over Moon Mullins which he continued until its cancellation in 1991.
Moon Mullins (1923-1991) was about a hard-living, would-be prizefighter nicknamed Moon. The strip offered storylines and personality characteristics which were appealing to readers during the Prohibition era. Moon Mullins was reinterpreted as a radio show and was regularly included as an animated television presentation on the 1970s Saturday morning cartoon program Archie’s TV Funnies.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961-10-22
graphic artist
Johnson, Ferd
publisher
News Syndicate Co., Inc.
ID Number
GA.22589
catalog number
22589
accession number
277502
In this pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Smitty newspaper strip, the title character secretly becomes engaged to Ginnie, who reveals that her aunt has been trying to arrange their engagement.Walter Berndt (1899-1979) drew sports cartoons for the New York Journal-American in h
Description (Brief)
In this pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Smitty newspaper strip, the title character secretly becomes engaged to Ginnie, who reveals that her aunt has been trying to arrange their engagement.
Walter Berndt (1899-1979) drew sports cartoons for the New York Journal-American in his early career. Later his freelance-created strip named Smitty was purchased by the Chicago Tribune. The strip was successful and was continued until Berndt’s retirement in 1973.
Smitty (1922-1973) reflected creator Berndt's own career. It told the story of a young, male office assistant. Smitty was just thirteen years old when began working for Mr. Bailey. Smitty had a happy home life with his parents and younger brother. He also had a friendly relationship with Mr. Bailey’s stenographer, Ginnie. Smitty eventually matured and married Ginnie.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-08-27
graphic artist
Berndt, Walter
publisher
Tribune Printing Company
ID Number
GA.22637
catalog number
22637
accession number
277502
A drawing in pencil signed “C. Schuessele” in purplish ink with what might be a stampCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
A drawing in pencil signed “C. Schuessele” in purplish ink with what might be a stamp
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
original artist
Schussele, Christian
ID Number
GA.16631
catalog number
16631
accession number
119780
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Blondie comic strip shows the title character cooking a big dinner for her family, which they all enjoy and praise.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Blondie comic strip shows the title character cooking a big dinner for her family, which they all enjoy and praise. Blondie is left disappointed when everybody disappears once it comes time to clean up.
Murat Bernard "Chic" Young (1901-1973) began working as a comic artist in 1921 on the strip The Affairs of Jane. The strip was published by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. A few years later Young was hired by King Features Syndicate to draw the strip Dumb Dora, which ran until 1935. Young had modest success with other strips, but his debut of Blondie in 1930 far overshadowed his other artistic products. He drew the strip until his death in 1973.
Blondie (1930- ) is portrayed as a sweet, if not featherbrained, young woman whose 1933 marriage to the affluent Dagwood Bumstead made national news. The strip followed the young couple after Bumstead’s parents disowned him because of their aversion to Blondie. The strip continued to gain in popularity after the introduction of Blondie and Dagwood’s two children, Alexander and Cookie.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-02-24
publisher
King Features Syndicate
ID Number
GA.22395
catalog number
22395
accession number
277502
Mr. Merryweather, created and drawn by Dick Turner (1909-1999), was a companion strip to his other comic, Carnival. The comic was distributed by the Newspaper Enterprise Association from 1940-1972.
Description
Mr. Merryweather, created and drawn by Dick Turner (1909-1999), was a companion strip to his other comic, Carnival. The comic was distributed by the Newspaper Enterprise Association from 1940-1972. The comic was based on the humor and humiliations of everyday life in a small town. In this strip, Mr. Merryweather deals with restaurant culture in five individual gag-joke panels.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
06/19/1966
publisher
NEA, Inc.
graphic artist
Turner, Dick
ID Number
GA.22525
catalog number
22525
accession number
277502
Koba aka Wild Horse (Kiowa),drawn between 1875 and 1878 at Fort Marion, Florida"Indian Discovery of U.S. Cavalry"Collected by Richard Henry Pratt about 1878Colored pencil, ink, and watercolorThe focus of this drawing by Koba is a Kiowa warrior coming down from his lookout hill.
Description
Koba aka Wild Horse (Kiowa),
drawn between 1875 and 1878 at Fort Marion, Florida
"Indian Discovery of U.S. Cavalry"
Collected by Richard Henry Pratt about 1878
Colored pencil, ink, and watercolor
The focus of this drawing by Koba is a Kiowa warrior coming down from his lookout hill. He carries a pair of field glasses (either a trade item or possibly taken from an enemy combatant) which assisted him in the discovery of the cavalry unit riding nearby. The Kiowa camp below is at rest; tribesmen welcome the scout's return and warning.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875-1878
original artist
Koba
ID Number
2008.0175.52
catalog number
2008.0175.052
accession number
2008.0175
Unsigned sheet; Gerome Ferris explores in pencil a possibility for the central group in his painting, San Salvador, 1492. Here Columbus flourishes his sword above his head whereas in the painting he gestures forward with it.
Description (Brief)
Unsigned sheet; Gerome Ferris explores in pencil a possibility for the central group in his painting, San Salvador, 1492. Here Columbus flourishes his sword above his head whereas in the painting he gestures forward with it. There is also a preliminary study for the crossbowman at left front in the painting.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920s
original artist
Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome
ID Number
1985.0650.007
accession number
1985.0650
catalog number
85.0650.007
Mary Worth, also titled Mary Worth's Family during the early 1940s, was famously drawn by Ken Ernst and written by Allen Saunders during the 1960s-1980s. It continues to be distributed by King Features Syndicate, although with new artists and writers.
Description
Mary Worth, also titled Mary Worth's Family during the early 1940s, was famously drawn by Ken Ernst and written by Allen Saunders during the 1960s-1980s. It continues to be distributed by King Features Syndicate, although with new artists and writers. The strip features the title character Mary, a former teacher and widow, in a soap-opera style storyline including the drama surrounding her apartment house neighbors. In this strip, Tony tries to divert Avonne's afternoon plans by asking his mother to serve his friends lunch, even though it is her afternoon off.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
08/21/1966
graphic artist
Ernst, Ken
maker
Saunders, John Allen
publisher
Publishers Newspapers Syndicate, Inc.
ID Number
GA.22450
catalog number
22450
accession number
277502
This pen-and-ink drawing, prepared for the Gasoline Alley newspaper comic strip, shows character Walt Wallet being scolded for trying to walk Effie home.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing, prepared for the Gasoline Alley newspaper comic strip, shows character Walt Wallet being scolded for trying to walk Effie home. She waves goodbye, but Wallet sees little hope in her attentions.
Richard Arnold "Dick" Moores (1909-1986) worked as an assistant to Chester Gould on the Dick Tracy comic strip early in his career. Moores continued to work on other strips and branched out into animation and comic book illustration, working on titles such as Mickey Mouse, Scamp, Donald Duck, and Alice in Wonderland. In 1956 Frank King asked Moores to assist on the daily strip Gasoline Alley, which Moores took over completely after King’s retirement in 1959. When the Sunday artist for Gasoline Alley retired in 1975, Moores took over that work as well, and continued drawing the strip until his death in 1986.
Gasoline Alley (1918- ) originated on a black-and-white Sunday page for The Chicago Tribune called The Rectangle, a collaborative page with contributions by different artists. One corner of "The Rectangle," drawn by Frank King, was devoted to the discussions between four men about their cars, an impetus for the name of the strip Gasoline Alley. Within a year the strip began appearing in the daily newspapers. Gasoline Alley, whose original characters included Walt, Doc, Avery, Bill, and Skeezix, is noted for its use of characters who have continued to age naturally.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-08-13
graphic artist
Moores, Dick
King, Frank
publisher
Tribune Printing Company
ID Number
GA.22550
catalog number
22550
accession number
277502
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Abbie an’ Slats comic strip shows Kit trying to irritate Miss Abbie by proposing to host a party and to demolish Miss Abbie’s apartment.Raeburn Van Buren (1891-1987) started his career as a freelance illustrator for magazines such as Life
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Abbie an’ Slats comic strip shows Kit trying to irritate Miss Abbie by proposing to host a party and to demolish Miss Abbie’s apartment.
Raeburn Van Buren (1891-1987) started his career as a freelance illustrator for magazines such as Life and The Saturday Evening Post. He quickly became one of the country’s most recognized magazine illustrators and eventually began drawing for Esquire and The New Yorker as well. In 1937 fellow artist Al Capp approached Van Buren with an offer to draw Capp's new comic strip, Abbie an’ Slats. Van Buren drew the strip until his retirement in 1971.
Abbie an’ Slats (1937-1971) was a story about a young orphaned boy from New York, Slats, who goes to live in the country with a spinster cousin named Abbie. Slats is headstrong and rebellious, and often disagrees with Abbie and her straight-laced sister, Sally.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-08-23
graphic artist
Van Buren, Raeburn
publisher
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
graphic artist
Capp, Al
ID Number
GA.22457
catalog number
22457
accession number
277502
Unsigned sheet of pencil studies, showing swords and helmets, some of which can be linked to the figure of a crossbowman in Ferris’s painting in which Christopher Columbus takes possession of present-day San Salvador for Spain.Currently not on view
Description
Unsigned sheet of pencil studies, showing swords and helmets, some of which can be linked to the figure of a crossbowman in Ferris’s painting in which Christopher Columbus takes possession of present-day San Salvador for Spain.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920s
original artist
Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome
ID Number
1985.0650.005
accession number
1985.0650
catalog number
85.0650.005
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Out Our Way single-panel daily comic strip shows a mother’s musings about generational differences.Negley W. "Neg" Cochran (1913-2001) began his career in 1936 by drawing the Sunday comic pages for Bela Zaboly’s Otto Honk.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Out Our Way single-panel daily comic strip shows a mother’s musings about generational differences.
Negley W. "Neg" Cochran (1913-2001) began his career in 1936 by drawing the Sunday comic pages for Bela Zaboly’s Otto Honk. After a few months Cochran left the strip to take over from Clyde Lewis on the strip titled Herky, which he drew until 1941. Beginning in 1957 Cochran worked on J. R. Williams’ Out Our Way. He drew the popular strip for the remainder of its run until 1977.
Out Our Way (1922-1977) was a comic strip rooted in nostalgia for the small-town life that resonated with creator J. R. Williams. The daily panel had a rotating cast with no official star, and a large array of backdrops from factory floors to cattle ranches.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-06-25
graphic artist
Cochran, Neg
publisher
NEA, Inc.
ID Number
GA.22396
catalog number
22396
accession number
277502
A drawing in pencil on mauve paper, signed “C. Schuessele” in purplish ink with what might be a stampCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
A drawing in pencil on mauve paper, signed “C. Schuessele” in purplish ink with what might be a stamp
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
original artist
Schussele, Christian
ID Number
GA.16632
catalog number
16632
accession number
119780
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Trudy comic strip shows the title character’s husband being obsessed by golf and always either playing, watching, or talking about it, which is shown to annoy his family.Jerry Marcus (1924-2005) freelanced most of his career.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Trudy comic strip shows the title character’s husband being obsessed by golf and always either playing, watching, or talking about it, which is shown to annoy his family.
Jerry Marcus (1924-2005) freelanced most of his career. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s he sold several of his cartoons to The New Yorker, Look magazine, the Ladies' Home Journal, and others. Trudy debuted in 1963, and Marcus drew it until his death in 2005.
Trudy (1963-2005) was a comic strip about a middle-class homemaker. She was said to have been inspired by creator Jerry Marcus's own mother, who raised four children by herself. Even though she was a homemaker, Trudy was also described as the head of the household, as she took care of juggling the needs of her husband, children, and a pet cat named Fatkat.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-07-10
graphic artist
Marcus, Jerry
publisher
King Features Syndicate
ID Number
GA.22464
catalog number
22464
accession number
277502
This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Garfield comic strip shows the title character explaining the best things about cats.James Robert "Jim" Davis (1945- ) first worked at an advertising agency before transitioning into comics.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Garfield comic strip shows the title character explaining the best things about cats.
James Robert "Jim" Davis (1945- ) first worked at an advertising agency before transitioning into comics. Beginning in 1969, he assisted Tumbleweeds artist Tom K. Ryan. Davis later created a short-lived strip called Gnorm Gnat, which was only syndicated in one Indiana newspaper. In 1978 he launched Garfield for United Features and created one of the most popular animals in the comic world. Garfield has been represented in books, films, television specials, video games, amusement park attractions, and merchandise. Davis continues to write Garfield today.
Garfield (1978- ) is a comic strip which looks at the life of the title character, a tabby cat, as well as a beagle named Odie, and their owner, Jon Arbuckle. Appearing in newspapers around the world, the strip’s international popularity is the result of non-topical and apolitical humor, and a simple story. The character Garfield is lazy and fat, and usually presents a disdainful attitude towards everything. He is often seen harassing Odie, his happily naïve housemate. Garfield also looks down on his owner, Jon, because of Jon's inability to get a date or benefit from social situations. Dr. Liz Wilson, Garfield’s veterinarian, was introduced in the second year of the strip’s run. She became Jon's romanic interest. In 2006, Jon and Liz began dating and then became engaged.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978-06-25
original artist
Davis, Jim
publisher
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
ID Number
1983.480.01
accession number
1983.0480
catalog number
1983.0480.01

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