Berryman family papers, 1829-1984, (bulk 1882-1961)

Collection Information

Size: 11.4 linear ft. (on 11 microfilm reels)

Summary: Biographical material, diaries, correspondence, business records, notes, writings, art work, scrapbooks, photographs and printed material primarily documenting the careers of Washington Star cartoonist Clifford Berryman, and his daughter, Star art critic Florence Berryman; Jim Berryman's career is not as well represented.
REEL D111: A scrapbook of memorabilia, 1905-1945, collected by Kate regarding her husband, including letters from Bernard Baruch, William Jennings Bryan, Harry Flood Byrd, Jay Darling, John Nance Garner, Herbert Hoover, Henry Cabot Lodge, Harry Truman, and Woodrow Wilson; clippings; cartoons; printed material; and photographs of Clifford, family members, William Jennings Bryan, John Nance Garner, Brenda Putnam, and William Howard Taft.
REELS 4767-4773: Clifford and Kate Berryman papers, including biographical material consisting of identity cards and a scrapbook of Kate's genealogical research material; 9 diaries kept by Kate intermittently between 1928 and 1948, with a few entries by Clifford, 1928; correspondence, 1829-1953, primarily fan mail, letters from presidents, politicians and political cartoonists discussing Clifford's work, and a scrapbook of greeting cards illustrated by Clifford and Jim and sent to family members; business and legal records, 1874-1937, including receipts, a copyright document, and a codicil to Kate's will; notes and writings; art work, including 2 sketchbooks, ca. 1882-1889, cartoons, drawings, and art work received by others;
a scrapbook of clippings mostly on Clifford, 1902-1905 and a section of a scrapbook of clippings and photos, ca. 1938; clippings, reproductions, and publications containing Clifford's work, including a scrapbook of clippings from the Washington Post, cartoons from the Star, and souvenir menus from Gridiron Club dinners; and photographs of Clifford, Kate, family, friends and politicians, including William Jennings Bryan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Josephus Daniels; and of travels, events and art work.
Among the correspondence in Clifford's papers are a letter, 1829, from Henry Clay to Mark Hardin, and a letter of introduction, 1917, for Will Rogers. Other correspondents include William Jennings Bryan, Harry Flood Byrd, Calvin Coolidge, Josephus Daniels, Jay Norwood Darling, Eugene Debs, Gilbert Grosvenor, Warren G. Harding, Will H. Hays, Herbert Hoover, J. Edgar Hoover, John T. McCutcheon, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Harry S. Truman, and Woodrow Wilson.
REELS 4773-4776: Florence Berryman papers, including biographical material; diaries, 1935, 1938, and 1966; correspondence, 1924-1984, primarily concerning the Washington, D.C. art scene, with artists, organizations, galleries, and others, including letters from Star art critic Leila Mechlin, 1931-1947; a record of compensation for freelance literary work, 1922-1937; notes and writings by Berryman, including artists biographies, the history of the American Federation of Arts, AFA traveling exhibitions, 1933-1936, and other lectures and writings, 1936-1978; printed material, 1922-1976, including loose clippings and scrapbooks of Florence's columns, 1922-1962, exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1941-1957, postcards of 1939 World's Fair murals and sculpture;
a scrapbook of art work by members of the Society of Washington Artists, 1936-1961; photographs of Berryman, 1902- ca. 1925, of artists Stefan Hirsch, Victoria Huntley, Ward Lockwood, Oronzio Maldarelli, and Boardman Robinson; and photos of Ernest Fiene and Peppino Mangravite when they served as jurors of the 46th Annual Exhibition, Chicago, 1942.
REEL 4776: Jim Berryman papers, 1919-1964, including correspondence; political cartoons and cartoons of family members; clippings; and clippings of Berryman's cartoons, 1930-1964.

Biographical/Historical Note

Political cartoonists and art critic; Washington, D.C. Clifford became a cartoonist for the Washington Post in 1891 and from 1897-1949 worked for the Washington Star, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1944. His cartoon of Theodore Roosevelt, "Drawing the Line in Mississippi," 1902 began the Teddy Bear craze and created Berryman's cartoon trademark. He was the first cartoonist to become president of the Gridiron Club. His wife, Kate, was active in the Daughters of the American Revolution. Their daughter, Florence, served as an editor for the American Federation of Arts until 1944, when she joined the Star as assistant to art critic Leila Mechlin. In 1946 she became critic upon Mechlin's retirement, and remained there until 1961. Her brother, Jim, became a Star cartoonist in 1931 and during his career also won a Pulitzer Prize for his political cartoons.

Provenance

The scrapbook on reel D111 was lent for microfilming by Florence Berryman in 1962. Portions were subsequently donated along with the 12 ft. of family papers by Florence Berryman's estate in 1992. The whereabouts of the items in the scrapbook which were not donated is unknown.

Related Materials

Clifford Berryman papers also located at: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.