This collection focuses on comics created specifically for the web and supplements the Library of Congress’ extensive holdings in both comic books, graphic novels, and original comic art. Webcomics selected for this collection include award-winning comics (Eisner Awards, Harvey Awards, Eagle Awards, and Shuster Awards) as well as webcomics that have significance in the field due to longevity, reputation, and subject matter.
Digital archive of thousands of Golden and Silver Age comic books in the Superhero, Sci-Fi, and Horror genres as well as fanzines and non-English publications.
Provides free access to hundreds of pre-1959 public domain comic books, uploaded by users who often offer historical research and commentary alongside high-quality scans.
The Pulp Magazines Project is an open-access archive and digital research initiative for the study and preservation of one of the twentieth century's most influential print culture forms: the all-fiction pulpwood magazine. The Project also provides information and resources on publishing history, multiple search and discovery platforms, and an expanding library of high-quality, cover-to-cover digital facsimiles.
From the website: Art Wood, an award-winning political cartoonist himself, collected more than 16,000 political cartoons by hundreds of the leading creators of the 'ungentlemanly art,' a phrase that is commonly used to describe this type of graphic satire.
Searchable collection of American political cartoons from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Herblock's Gift: Selections from the Herb Block Foundation Collection
A listing of Library of Congress collections of political cartoons.
Monstrous Craws and Character - Masterpieces of Cartoon Caricature Flaws
19th and 20th Century Political Cartoons caricaturing some of the key political events of the day.
Bowling Green State University - Popular Culture Library
The collection was amassed by the donor, Michael J. Ciaraldi, beginning in the early 1970s, and came to the Library beginning in 1996. The majority of the collection consists of comic books published since that time, up to 1995; there are also significant sections of magazine-format comics, graphic novels, fan and collector's journals, reissues of classic "golden age" comics and newspaper strips, translations of Japanese "manga" and "anime" comics and European comic art, and compilations of the work of comic artists, as well as advertising ephemera, role-playing game materials, and adult erotica. The Collection is particularly noteworthy for its holdings of comics by the small and independent publishers of the 1970s and 1980s. Imprints are very largely American, with some British satirical graphic magazines. The total number of items in the Collection is estimated at 60,000.
The Belgian Center for Comic Strip Art
The Belgian Comic Strip Center has a study library housing what is probably the biggest collection of comic strips in the world. The study library allows visitors access to all the collections of albums, magazines and reference works conserved at BCSC. The reading room contains a selection of over 3,000 albums; you will also find albums translated into over 36 languages. The study library collection can be viewed in the online catalo
Indiana University, Michael E. Uslan Collection
Uslan, producer of "Batman" films and Indiana University professor, donated his collection to the university.
This collection consists of comic books authored as parodies of mainstream society and/or reflecting less acceptable behavior as would be depicted in more conventional publications. Underground comics (or "comix", a common spelling) are defined as comic books with adult themes discussing controversial topics and often mocking conventional society. Topics include feminism, marijuana legalization, Black Power, anti-abortion and anti-war themes, and gay and lesbian issues. The movement grew considerably with the political and cultural ferment of the 1960s and '70s and established a dedicated following. One of the most influential author/illustrators was R. (Robert) Crumb. The collection also contains several files of correspondence between Special Collections Department staff and comic book artists and dealers. The comics have been cataloged and can be found by searching the Library catalog.
Library of Congress Comic Book Collection
The largest collection of comics books in the United States is housed in the Serial and Government Publications Division. The collection includes U.S. and foreign comic books—over 5,000 titles in all, totaling more than 100,000 issues. Primarily composed of the original print books, the collection includes color microfiche of a handful of the early comic books (such as Wonder Woman, Superman, and Action Comics) and special reprints. Although the collection is most comprehensive from 1950, scattered issues from numerous titles date back to the 1930s. A small number of comic books make up the Underground Comic Book collection. Comic books are circulated for use in the Newspaper and Current Periodical Room for those doing research of a specific nature. Self-service photocopying of comic books is prohibited. In some cases photocopies may be obtained through the Photoduplication Service of the Library of Congress.
Michigan State University Library - Comic Art Collection
The Comic Art Collection holds over 200,000 items. Most of these items are comic books, but also included are over 1,000 books of collected newspaper comic strips, and several thousand books and periodicals about comics. The most important categories of material in the Comic Art Collection, based on current completeness and emphasis, are the U.S. comic books, the international comics collection, the newspaper strip books, and the historical and critical materials. The site includes a list of genres and titles within unique subgenres such as advertising comic books, funny military comic books, prehistoric adventure comic books, and many more. This site also includes information on their European Comic Book and Latin American Comic Art collections.
Ohio State University Libraries - Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum
The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum's collection includes editorial cartoons, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, sports cartoons, and magazine cartoons. Current holdings include more than 300,000 original cartoons, 45,000 books, 67,000 serials (including comic books), 3,000 linear feet of manuscript materials, and 2.5 million comic strip clippings and newspaper pages. Educational resources relating to the history of printed cartoons and digital albums of the library's treasures are accessible on the website.
University of Kent at Canterbury - The British Cartoon Archive
The British Cartoon Archive, at the University of Kent at Canterbury, exists to encourage and facilitate the study of cartoons and caricatures published in the United Kingdom. When viewing a cartoon, a description is provided, adding insight into what was happening at the time the cartoon was produced. The search function enables users to find much more than a specific cartoon. Users can find out what was happening on a specific day in history by seeing all the cartoons produced for major newspapers on that day, how well known politicians and important personalities were perceived, how major events were presented and criticized, and when topics or events were of concern. The BCA can supply high-resolution images for personal or educational use for a fee, depending on the copyright status. Educators can create groups of cartoons for teaching purposes, and then publish them on the web for students to use.
Virginia Commonwealth University
The VCU Libraries’ Comic Arts Collection began in the 1970s with the donation of a modest comic book collection and the papers of a noted Richmond newspaper editorial cartoonist. The collection then grew with the help of numerous donors over the years – especially that of Dr. M. Thomas Inge, an expert on the history of popular culture and the comic arts. Today, the collection includes more than 42,000 comic books dating primarily from the 1960s through today, including the papers and drawings of political cartoonist Fred O. Seibel and Charles Henry "Bill" Sykes, and Billy De Beck's personal library and the door to his studio apartment, featuring an original painting of his famous characters Barney Google and Sparkplug. VCU Libraries has been the repository for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Archives since 2005.
University of Wyoming - American Heritage Center
The Comic Book Industry collections at the University of Wyoming are unique in documenting the editors and writers of this industry increasingly recognized by scholars as having a significant impact on the nation’s popular culture. Collections include papers from classic comic book writers, editors, and creators. Each collection includes a biography, the scope of the collection, genres, access terms, and in the case of the Stan Lee collection, a detailed list of the subject files and specific holdings.
Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco
The Cartoon Art Museum’s mission is to ignite imaginations and foster the next generation of visual storytellers by celebrating the history of cartoon art, its role in society, and its universal appeal. Our vision is to be the premier destination to experience cartoon art in all its many forms from around the world, and a leader in providing insight into the process of creating it.
ToonSeum (at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh)
Founded in 2007, ToonSeum, the Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art, is one of only three museums in the United States dedicated to exhibitions and educational programming focused on the history and cultural impact of the comic and cartoon arts.
Cartoon America
The Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature contains more than 36,000 original cartoon drawings and is a jewel among the Library's special collections, illuminating his astounding lifetime legacy of American creativity. The 102 drawings selected for the exhibition are stellar examples from this remarkable collection. These selections reflect Wood's primary collecting interests and strengths and the vitality of an innovative and evolving art form that includes political illustrations, gag cartoons, comic strips, illustrations, animation, and caricature.
A searchable index of The New Yorker cartoons.
In the Advanced search under document type students can limit to editorial cartoon, then enter search terms.
In the Advanced search under document type select editorial cartoon.
Association of American Editorial Cartoonists
Web site allows you to search for keywords and artists by year (click on the browse/search cartoons link on the left side).
New York Times Photos & Graphics includes Editorial art from the New York Times Syndicate Cartoon Arts International
Teacher resources and primary source documents for political cartoons
