1. Creator/Author:
  2. John T. McCutcheon (1)

The Spencer County, Indiana, Youth and His Un-dreamed of Immortality

Creator:
John T. McCutcheon, Chicago Tribune
Location:
Illinois, Cook County, Chicago
Origin Date:
1934
Materials:
paper
Measurements:
overall: 18 3/8 in x 14 1/16 in
Item ID:
71.2009.081.1776
Holding Institution:
Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum
Available for Viewing:
No
Category:
Fine Art

Description

This lithograph depicts the life of Abraham Lincoln from his growing years in Indiana to his death. In the foreground the artist shows Lincoln as an older teen carrying an axe over his left shoulder while reaching out with his left hand to pet his dog. There is a cabin to the viewer's right with two women, probably intended to be Abe's mother and sister, standing in front. The mother is pointing to an empty pan while another dog runs away from it. A horse, a wagon, and a lean-to are at the viewers left. In the middle ground of the print are sketches of 44 different heroic size Lincoln sculptures found in different places across the country. At the top of the print from the viewer's left to right are sketches of the Lincoln tomb at Springfield, Illinois, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Birthplace Memorial at Hodgenville, Kentucky. The title is handwritten in ink in the lower margin. Just below the lower right corner of the print is the handwritten inscription: To Austin W. Stults with my best wishes, John T. McCutcheon. Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum Indiana, Tippecanoe County, South Raub. Political cartoonist John Tinney McCutcheon (1870-1949) was born near South Raub, Tippecanoe County on May 6, 1870. He attended Purdue University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1889. While at Purdue he worked on the stutdent newspaper and was co-editor of the university's first yearbook, the Debris. McCutcheon workded for the Chicago Tribune from 1903 until his retirement in 1946 as an editorial cartoonist and occasional foreign correspondent. During World War I he worked as a correspondent and combat artist. In 1932 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for his 1931 Depression-era cartoon, "A Wise Economist Asks a Question," about a victim of bank failure. McCutcheon also provided illustrations for his friend and fellow Purdue alum, writer George Ade. McCutcheon is often referred to as the "Dean of American Cartoonists." McCutcheon is the younger brother of novelist George Barr McCutcheon. A collection of McCutcheon's cartoons and drawings from his time with the Chicago Tribune reside at Purdue University.