Patterns of a Political Cartoonist


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This visualization, generated on Clemson University’s Palmetto Cluster, is based on data collected for a study of 8,422 political cartoons by Herbert Lawrence Block (known as Herblock), published in the Washington Post between 1946 and 1976. The investigators are developing innovative ways of visualizing the different levels of context and meaning embedded within and across this collection as an insight to the cultural history of Cold War America. Each node (or point) represents a particular character depicted within the collection. Each line illustrates an instance where two characters appear in the same cartoon. Thicker lines reveal characters who are depicted together more frequently. Colors illustrate particular groupings of characters. In this case, blues indicate a close proximity to the Cold War and international relations, while reds indicate a more domestic/legislative focus.

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