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Photo, Print, Drawing [Mr. Atom 1949 island footprint] / Herblock.

[ digital file from original drawing ]

Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress.

About this Item

Title

  • [Mr. Atom 1949 island footprint] / Herblock.

Summary

  • Editorial cartoon shows Mr. Atom, an atomic bomb topped with a tiny centurion's helmet, holding a crude umbrella with a small American flag on the top, appears startled by a human footprint in the sand on a previously thought to be uninhabited island. "Just four years after the U.S. detonated its nuclear bombs over Japan on August, 1945, the Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear bomb at a remote test site in Kazakhstan on August 29, 1949. Like the novelist Daniel Defoe's marooned hero Robinson Crusoe, Herblock's Mr. Atom discovers that the island is no longer his exclusive domain and registers the dismay experienced by the U.S. at the major shift in the balance of military power in the world." [Source: exhibit caption]

Names

  • Block, Herbert, 1909-2001, artist

Created / Published

  • 1949 Sept. 24.

Headings

  • -  Atomic bombs--American--1940-1950
  • -  Desert islands--1940-1950
  • -  Footprints--1940-1950
  • -  Anxiety--1940-1950
  • -  Cold War--1940-1950

Format Headings

  • Drawings--1940-1950.
  • Editorial cartoons--1940-1950.

Genre

  • Editorial cartoons--1940-1950
  • Drawings--1940-1950

Notes

  • -  Caption label from exhibit "Herblock!" (2009) "White is Black, Black is White, Night is Day ": Just four years after the U.S. detonated its nuclear bombs over Japan on August 6 and 9, 1945, the Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear bomb at a remote test site in Kazakhstan on August 29, 1949. Like Daniel Defoe's marooned hero Robinson Crusoe, Herblock's Mr. Atom discovers that the island is no longer his exclusive domain and registers the dismay experienced by the U.S. at the major shift in the balance of military power in the world.
  • -  Title from exhibit caption.
  • -  Signed "Herblock" lower left.
  • -  Published in the Washington Post, September 24, 1949.
  • -  Copyright 1949, The Washington Post Co.
  • -  Forms part of: Herbert L. Block Collection (Library of Congress).
  • -  Exhibited in: "Herblock!" at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 2009-2010.

Medium

  • 1 drawing on layered paper : graphite, ink, with opaque white over graphite underdrawing ; 53.6 x 36.8 cm (sheet)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BLOCK, no. 2311 (BB size) [P&P]

Source Collection

  • Block, Herbert, 1909-2001. Herbert L. Block collection (Library of Congress)

Repository

Digital Id

  • ppmsca 19970 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.19970

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2009632038

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-ppmsca-19970 (digital file from original drawing)

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: Herbert Block ("Herblock") - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: Publication may be restricted. For information see "Herbert Block ("Herblock") Rights and Restrictions," https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/res/271_herb.html
  • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-19970 (digital file from original drawing)
  • Call Number: BLOCK, no. 2311 (BB size) [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. (Some images display only as thumbnails outside the Library of Congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site.)

Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

  1. If a digital image is displaying: The qualities of the digital image partially depend on whether it was made from the original or an intermediate such as a copy negative or transparency. If the Reproduction Number field above includes a reproduction number that starts with LC-DIG..., then there is a digital image that was made directly from the original and is of sufficient resolution for most publication purposes.
  2. If there is information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can use the reproduction number to purchase a copy from Duplication Services. It will be made from the source listed in the parentheses after the number.

    If only black-and-white ("b&w") sources are listed and you desire a copy showing color or tint (assuming the original has any), you can generally purchase a quality copy of the original in color by citing the Call Number listed above and including the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

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Access to Originals

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  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Block, Herbert, Artist. Mr. Atomisland footprint / Herblock. , 1949. Sept. 24. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2009632038/.

APA citation style:

Block, H. (1949) Mr. Atomisland footprint / Herblock. , 1949. Sept. 24. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2009632038/.

MLA citation style:

Block, Herbert, Artist. Mr. Atomisland footprint / Herblock. Sept. 24. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/2009632038/>.