[East Hartford, Connecticut?]: 1943-1945. 435 leaves of thin card measuring 10” x 8”, each with an original illustration in ink, and 23 are heightened in watercolor. Generally very good or better with lightly toned leaves.

This is a visually spectacular collection of cartoons which document hundreds of events in World War II. They were created by commercial artist Clarence Hansen for aircraft manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. They were ultimately printed and circulated internally, and likely appeared in their company newspaper, The Power Plant, which began publication in 1943.

The collection provides a day-by-day account of the war. Most of the drawings are dated and nearly all contain a cut sheet with a typescript caption adhered to the leaf with tape. The most common subjects are Hitler and Stalin. The collection begins August 11, 1943 with a cartoon showing Churchill and FDR in a small fishing boat, with Mussolini's head in a net and a fish with the face of Hitler questioning an enticing worm. The caption reads, “Prime Minister Churchill is in Canada for conferences with the Canadian Prime Minister and President Roosevelt.” With such a large group of cartoons, there are many highlights and here are a few more examples:

--October 20, 1943. The cartoon shows a bear as Russia, eating up road as it approaches Germany with a terrified Hitler looking out from behind a corner. The caption reads: “The Russians are continuing their offensive, menacing the Germans in the Crimea and Southern Russia. In the Kremlin, the conference of the American, British and Russian foreign ministers continues.”

--January 21, 1944. The cartoon shows a sky full of airplanes approaching a frightened Hitler, with the caption: “R.A.F. night bombers hammered Berlin last night in the eleventh massive attack on the German capital since the extermination campaign against it began on November 18.”

--October 9, 1944. The cartoon depicts the corner of a building; along the left is an Allied soldier with a machine gun, hiding behind the building at right is Hitler with a handgun. The caption reads: “According to British reports, American troops have entered Aachen from the southeast and house to house fighting is raging in that city.”

An amazing collection, worthy of an exhibition. Item #5791