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Photo, Print, Drawing "He made the trains run on time" / Herblock.

[ digital file from original drawing ]

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

About this Item

Title

  • "He made the trains run on time" / Herblock.

Summary

  • Editorial cartoon shows an anxious looking Benito Mussolini, wringing his hands behind his back, while standing on a railroad station platform, labeled "Italy", as a train rolls by carrying Nazi soldiers and bearing the German swastika flag. Herblock seems to be telling Mussolini that Hitler "made the trains run on time."

Names

  • Block, Herbert, 1909-2001, artist

Created / Published

  • [1941 March 8]

Headings

  • -  Mussolini, Benito,--1883-1945
  • -  World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns & battles
  • -  Troop movements--German--Italy--1940-1950
  • -  Railroads--Italy--1940-1950
  • -  Anxiety--1940-1950
  • -  Nazis--Italy--1940-1950
  • -  Swastikas--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) Psychopathic Ward: Europe's first twentieth-century fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, gazes pensively at a massive train filled with German soldiers on its way through Italy. In March 1941, he launched a major offensive by invading Greece as part of his larger, ill-timed bid to pursue a Balkan campaign. After the campaign failed Mussolini required German aid to disentangle his forces. In Herblock's cartoon, the once-powerful leader who "made the trains run on time" appears alone and diminished.
  • -  Title from item.
  • -  Signed "Herblock" lower right.
  • -  Published by NEA Services, Inc., March 8, 1941.
  • -  NEA Services, Inc.
  • -  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 : crayon, ink, opaque white, and paste-on, with scraping out over graphite underdrawing ; 57.8 x 38.4 cm (sheet)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BLOCK, no. 709 (BB size) [P&P]

Source Collection

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

Repository

Digital Id

  • hlb 00709 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hlb.00709

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2009632047

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-hlb-00709 (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-hlb-00709 (digital file from original drawing)
  • Call Number: BLOCK, no. 709 (BB size) [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

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  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.
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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.
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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. "He made the trains run on time" / Herblock. Italy, 1941. [March 8] Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2009632047/.

APA citation style:

Block, H. (1941) "He made the trains run on time" / Herblock. Italy, 1941. [March 8] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2009632047/.

MLA citation style:

Block, Herbert, Artist. "He made the trains run on time" / Herblock. [March 8] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/2009632047/>.