Jack Jurden political and editorial cartoons

Jack Jurden was an American political cartoonist with a career spanning over six decades. Born in 1926, Jurden grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He joined the U.S. Army (77th Division in the Pacific) during World War II, where he served from 1944 until the end of the war. Jurden was an expert in photoengraving, a skill he learned in Allentown, where he began his career. He moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1952, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. During the photoengraving phase of his career, Jurden worked for The Morning News and Evening Journal. Jurden was a self-taught artist. After impressing the editors of the newspapers, Jurden was granted space to run daily editorial cartoons in The News Journal in the early 1960s. Jurden went on to do further freelance work as a commercial artist.

Throughout his career, Jurden remained interested in Delaware politics in particular. His special interest in regional politics made him many friends on the Delaware political scene. Jurden’s drawings frequently featured his trademark frog, making his drawings easily identifiable on many politicians’ office walls. Amongst his admirers was former president Lyndon Johnson, who featured one of Jurden’s political cartoons in his Presidential Library. Jurden has been featured in books, newspapers nationwide, and the United States National Archives in Washington, D.C. He was also an officer of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

"Delaware cartoonist Jack Jurden dies at 88”. https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2015/03/18/renown-del-cartoonist-jack-jurden-dies-age/24997033 (accessed October 2019). "Godspeed Jack Jurden”. http://delawareway.blogspot.com/2015/03/godspeed-jack-jurden.html/ (accessed October 2019). "John R. “Jack” Jurden”. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/delawareonline/obituary.aspx?n=john-r-jurden-jack&pid=174429575&fhid=7886/ (accessed October 2019). "Jack Jurden, 1926-2015”. https://www.nationalcartoonists.com/2015/03/jack-jurden-1926-2015/ (accessed October 2019). "Jurdy”. http://www.jurdy.com/index_files/Page1939.htm/ (accessed October 2019).

Political cartoons were first drawn in England in the 18th century, and have since become a staple of newspapers. In the modern age, many political cartoons are conceived, drafted, colored, and edited on smart tablets or computers. However, for most of the 20th century, political cartoons were drafted using a series of techniques, detailed below.

In the traditional methodology of editorial cartoon drawing, everything begins with reading. Jurden and other prominent political cartoonists from all around the world cite their extensive following of global, national, and local news stories. Through constantly reading the news, cartoonists are able to collate major themes of the day, week, or month – depending on the newspaper or website for which they work.

After settling on an idea, cartoonists go through their existing reference materials or search for new reference materials. These often involve photographs, magazines, advertisements, or even other cartoonists’ depictions of people, places, or objects. Reference materials assist the cartoonist in two ways. First, they allow the cartoonist to reference a real-life depiction of whatever they are trying to draw, which improves accuracy. Second, they allow the cartoonist to keep their depictions of a particular person, place, or object consistent through time. For example, the Jurden collection features numerous cartoons relating to former vice president Joe Biden (D) throughout his career. Jurden drew Biden from the 1970s through his vice presidency, always in a similar style so that Biden was identifiable over time in all of Jurden’s cartoons.

After consulting reference materials, cartoonists will often sketch a first draft on either thin, cheap paper and/or tracing paper. These early sketches are often done in either blue or light grey pencil. This allows the cartoonist to draft the basic forms of the people, work with the subject matter within the physical space of the paper, and test different concepts.

Political cartoons like Jurden's, are created through a unique process. The first draft is then reworked until the cartoonist is happy with the design. This can take a myriad drafts. Once the cartoon’s underlying design is complete, the artist will switch to heavier, higher quality paper and a darker, more defining ink. The original draft may be drawn on directly with the darker ink if the artist feels it is appropriate. More commonly, the cartoonist will using tracing paper and a light board to clean up one of the drafts before it is sketched more completely.

Finally, they can add color, which is often done with watercolor. The cartoon is then resized and/or digitized for resizing and final printing.

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