The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery will be opening an exhibit featuring famed editorial cartoonist Herbert “Herblock” Block in May. The exhibit, entitled “Herblock’s Presidents: ‘Puncturing Pomposity” features 40 political cartoons.
The exhibition includes his depictions of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. While Herblock was generally unsympathetic to Republican presidents, Democrats such as Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton did not escape his wrath. He consistently attacked any president he felt was insensitive to the “underdog.” The show offers a rare opportunity for visitors to see how one of America’s greatest political cartoonists viewed the American presidency for much of the 20th century.
The exhibit runs through November.