March 21, 2015–March 19, 2016

Editorial cartoonists, like all Americans, do not always agree with one another. Issues on which the nation was particularly divided in the twentieth century—the question of U.S. intervention prior to entering World War II, the Red Scare, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and events in the Middle East—provide the framework for this exhibition. These topics were particularly fertile ground for editorial cartoonists.

The exhibition offers viewers an extensive opportunity to experience the work of Herbert L. Block (1909–2001)—commonly known as Herblock—alongside the work of his contemporaries over the period of four decades and provides visual insights into key moments that shaped the United States in the twentieth century. Pointing Their Pens draws from the comprehensive collections of cartoon art acquired by the Library of Congress since the early 1900s, including the Herbert L. Block Collection and the Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature.