Content
Sourcepack
English 1000
Editorial Cartoons
Instructor: Dana Kinnison
Uncovering the Subject of Your Cartoon
To find out the subject or topic behind your cartoon, use ProQuest Historical Newspapers (select "Databases") via the MU Libraries homepage. The New York Times (1851-1999) and Wall Street Journal (1889-1985) are covered in full image meaning you will be able to read and copy the articles off your PC's monitor.
To search
In the search box, enter either the names of people in the cartoon (or those you recognize) or words that appear within the cartoon. You can also enter the year the cartoon was published as well as the preceding year, e.g. search all of 1985 and 1986 if your cartoon appeared in 1986.
Looking at the results
Scan your list of titles and open up the image to scan the article. Don't dismiss articles that look totally off topic. They may give you a big clue as to the context of the cartoon.
Primary Sources
Once you've identified the subject of your cartoon, you can use a variety of primary resources (sources that reported on the item at the time it occured).
Electronic
To search, click on the "Guided News Search" tab; "Select a News Category" ("General News" or "U.S. News" are recommended), then "Major Papers". Enter your topic in the boxes provided and limit by date.
- Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature
REF AI3 .R48 Ready Reference - Facts on File
REF D410 .F3 - Secondary Sources American Decades
REF E169.12 .A419 1994 Ready Reference - Britannica Book of the Year
REF AE5 .E364 Ready Reference - The World Book Encyclopedia
REF AE5 .W55 2000 Ready Reference - MERLIN Library Catalog
Can search for books on your topic if needed.
This SOURCEPACK is a service of Ellis Library