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Photo, Print, Drawing "What's this about your letting the common people come in here and read books?"

[ digital file from original ]

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

About this Item

Title

  • "What's this about your letting the common people come in here and read books?"

Summary

  • Cartoon shows a Congressman, ax in hand, banging angrily on the circulation desk in the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress. In May 1954, the House Appropriations Committee reminded the Library that its primary duty was to serve Congress and recommended deep cuts in its annual appropriation. The cartoonist comments on the irony of cutting service to the public in an institution that most people had come to view as a national library.

Names

  • Block, Herbert, 1909-2001, artist
  • Washington Post Company, publisher
  • Washington Post Company, copyright claimant

Created / Published

  • 1954 June 6.

Headings

  • -  Library of Congress--1950-1960
  • -  United States.--Congress--1950-1960
  • -  Legislators--United States--1950-1960
  • -  Libraries--United States--1950-1960

Format Headings

  • Drawings.
  • Editorial cartoons--American.

Genre

  • Editorial cartoons--American
  • Drawings

Notes

  • -  Caption label from exhibit "Herblock!" (2009) Classic Cartoons by a Master: Relations between Luther Evans, Librarian of Congress (1945-1953), and Congress became strained because of the Library's increasing emphasis on national service. In 1954 President Dwight Eisenhower nominated Lewis Quincy Mumford, who served until 1974, as Evans's successor. At the Library's 1954 budget hearing, Mumford was told, "The Librarian should be mindful that the Library is the instrument and creature of Congress." Although Mumford promised to strengthen the Library's service to Congress, he refused to decrease its resources to the nation.
  • -  Gift; Herb Block; (DLC/PP-1954:R07.1).
  • -  Published in the Washington Post, June 6, 1954.
  • -  Exhibited in: "Herblock!" at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 2009-2010.
  • -  mm / 860130; ljr / 970213.
  • -  Source: New York Times, May 24, 1954, p. 24 ljr

Medium

  • 1 drawing.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • CD 1 - Block, no. 1 (B size)

Source Collection

  • Cartoon Drawings (Library of Congress)

Repository

Digital Id

  • acd 2a06949 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/acd.2a06949

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2016679554

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-acd-2a06949 (digital file from original)

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: Cartoon Drawings - 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-acd-2a06949 (digital file from original)
  • Call Number: CD 1 - Block, no. 1 (B size)
  • 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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    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, Publisher Washington Post Company, and Copyright Claimant Washington Post Company. "What's this about your letting the common people come in here and read books?". United States, 1954. June 6. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2016679554/.

APA citation style:

Block, H., Washington Post Company, P. & Washington Post Company, C. C. (1954) "What's this about your letting the common people come in here and read books?". United States, 1954. June 6. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2016679554/.

MLA citation style:

Block, Herbert, Artist, Publisher Washington Post Company, and Copyright Claimant Washington Post Company. "What's this about your letting the common people come in here and read books?". June 6. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/2016679554/>.