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ORIGINAL, SIGNED Jerry Doyle Political Cartoon - "Along the Way" (circa 1938)
Original pen, ink, and charcoal editorial cartoon by Jerry Doyle (1898–1986), longtime staff cartoonist for the Philadelphia Record and later the Philadelphia Daily News. Doyle was one of the most prominent New Deal-era editorial cartoonists in the country — a committed Roosevelt supporter whose early and relentless attacks on Hitler and Mussolini reportedly got him placed on a Nazi target list. His work also appeared in Collier's, Time, and the Saturday Evening Post, and his archive of over 1,300 originals is now held by Penn State University's Special Collections Library.
This piece, titled "Along the Way", satirizes the fringe old-age pension movements that competed for public attention during the Depression alongside Roosevelt's Social Security Act. A carnival-style "Townsendism Shellful Game" (a jab at the Townsend Plan) and a "Ham & Egg Plan" cook (referencing California's "$30 Every Thursday" pension scheme) are set against a marcher carrying a "Sound Social Security Policies" sign, walking past a roadside barricade toward a fantastical "Utopia Rocket Ship." It's a busy, multi-figure composition with strong period detail — a great visual snapshot of the competing pension schemes debated across America in the mid-1930s.
Measures approximately 18" x 17". Signed "Jerry Doyle" in the lower right. This is a genuine, one-of-a-kind original — not a print or reproduction — sourced directly from the artist's working files.
Condition: This is a ~90-year-old working newspaper original and shows honest age. The paper/board has overall toning and yellowing consistent with its age. The piece is currently mounted to a backing board and shrink-wrapped in plastic, with pressure-sensitive tape (now yellowed) along the back edges and corners — this tape has not been removed and its long-term effects on the paper have not been professionally assessed. There is visible edge wear and some corner softening, along with light overall surface toning. No tears, losses, or water damage are visible in the drawn image itself. Buyers who intend to frame this piece long-term should plan on having it professionally de-mounted and rehoused in archival, acid-free materials, as the current tape and plastic covering are not archival.
I have other original Jerry Doyle illustrations for sale! Please see my other listings.
