Frederick Little Packer Political Cartoon & Sketch

Updated September 4, 2026

This auction ended on September 16, 2026. See upcoming auctions from Esquis Auctions.
Lot number114
Estimate300.00 - 350.00 USD
AuctionChicagoland Antiques, Jewelry & Collectibles Auction 09/15
DateSeptember 16, 2026 at 12:36 AM CDT
Auction houseEsquis Auctions
LocationWheeling, Illinois

Original political cartoon by Frederick Little Packer, executed in pen and ink with white highlights and extensive stippled shading. The composition depicts a monumental raised fist labeled "Military Strength" emerging above clouds, confronted by a solitary figure carrying a document reading "U.S. Arms Reduction Program." Across the composition appears the message "To Gain Respect and Hold It," while the lower margin bears the working caption "Universal Language!" Signed Packer lower right. Also included is the original preliminary pencil sketch for the cartoon, showing Packer's initial development of the same composition, including the raised fist, arms-reduction figure and clouds labeled "World's Unsettled Problems." Together, the finished artwork and preparatory drawing offer an unusual look at the working process behind a mid-20th-century American editorial cartoon. Please review photos for condition details. Finished artwork 22" x 15" unframed. Frederick Little Packer (1886-1956, United States) was an American illustrator and political cartoonist who worked for newspapers in California before continuing his career in New York. He became a prominent cartoonist for the New York Mirror and received the 1952 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for his cartoon "Your Editors Ought to Have More Sense Than to Print What I Say!"

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