Elmer Messner papers
Creator: Messner, Elmer R., 1901-1979
Call Number: D.332
Dates: 1941-1950
Physical Description: 14 boxes
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Table of Contents:

Biographical/Historical Note
Scope and Content
Arrangement
Subject(s)
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Access
Use
Citation
Content List
Series I: Political cartoons
Collection Overview
Title: Elmer Messner papers
Creator: Messner, Elmer R., 1901-1979
Call Number: D.332
Dates: 1941-1950
Physical Description: 14 boxes
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Biographical/Historical Note
Elmer Messner was born in Rochester in 1901. He graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1918 and continued his studies at the Arts Student League in New York. In 1925 he returned to RIT to teach drawing. He taught there for over twenty years. He joined the staff of the Rochester Times-Union newspaper as a sport and news cartoonist in 1922. He entered the comic cartoon field by drawing a series of humorous cartoons for the Editors Feature Service entitled: "That's Not the Half of It." During Buffalo, New York's Centennial he wrote a column and drew related cartoons for the Buffalo Evening News historical series. His cartoons were widely reproduced in other newspapers and magazines across the country and abroad. Along with his cartooning, Mr. Messner wrote a rod and gun column for the Times-Union.

In additions to cartooning, Messner painted in both watercolor and oils. His art works were exhibited across the country. He participated in shows at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, the Chicago of Art Institute, and Huntington Art gallery in Los Angeles. The artist had several one-man shows in Rochester and around New York State.

During this career he was bestowed many awards and medals, among them included: Lillian Fairchild Award from the University of Rochester for the "trenchant ideas, cogent phrases and creative spirit in his deft drawings"; the Distinguished Alumnus award from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He received several awards from the Freedom Foundation, including five honor medals; the Christopher Award; citations from the United States Treasury and the Disabled Veterans of the World War and the New York Times Education Writer Award.

Mr. Messner served as president of the Association of the American Editorial Cartoonist and also vice-president of the National Cartoonist Society. On a local note, he was vice president of the Rochester Art Club from 1944-1949 and then served as president for the organization in 1950-1952.

After his retirement from the newspaper in 1964, he continued his career in the arts by painting and remaining active in the art world. Mr. Messner died of a heart attack at his home in Pittsford, NY on May 22, 1979. He was 78 years old.

Frank Gannett, founder of the Gannett newspaper group was quoted as describing Elmer Messner's talent as "the rare ability to reduce to a simple line, or a combination of lines, the story or an event and the feeling of the people."

Scope and Content
This collection is comprised of 111 political cartoons drawn by Elmer Messner, political cartoonist for the Rochester Times-Union. Drawn between the years 1941-1950, these bold and expressive images captured the hopes, fears, uncertainty and exaltation of World War II. The first image of the collection is a reproduction of Elmer Messner's portrait by James Montgomery Flagg from the publication entitled The War in Cartoons. Following the first drawing, each cartoon has a date and a title that depicts a certain issue or event during the war. The cartoons are numbered consecutively throughout the collection.

Arrangement
This collection is arranged in a single series:

Series I: Political Cartoons

Subject(s):
World War (1939-1945)
Political cartoons
Messner, Elmer R., 1901-1979
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mr. Messner, April, 1950.Access
The Elmer Messner papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.Use
Reproductions are made upon request but can be subject to restrictions. Permission to publish materials from the collection must currently be requested. Please note that some materials may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information contact rarebks@library.rochester.eduCitation
[Item title, item date], Elmer Messner papers, D.332, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Administrative Information
Author: Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Publisher: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Address:
Rush Rhees Library
Second Floor, Room 225
Rochester, NY 14627-0055
rarebks@library.rochester.edu
URL:


Content List