The Ink Tank Archive
This collection includes original artwork in various formats and published materials by the artists of The Ink Tank Archive, founded in 1978 by R. O. Blechman. The collection includes original animation cells, correspondence, publications, scripts, shot lists, and audio visual materials.
Dates
- Creation: 1980-2005
- Other: Date acquired: 01/00/2018
Creator
- InkTank (Organization) (Creator, Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions to access.
Conditions Governing Use
Users of the collection must read and agree to abide by the rules and procedures set forth in the Materials Use Policies. Providing access to materials does not constitute permission to publish or otherwise authorize use. All publication not covered by fair use or other exceptions is restricted to those who have permission of the copyright holder, which may or may not be Washington University. If you wish to publish or license Special Collections materials, please contact Special Collections to inquire about copyright status at (314) 935-5495 or spec@wumail.wustl.edu. (Publish means quotation in whole or in part in seminar or term papers, theses or dissertations, journal articles, monographs, books, digital forms, photographs, images, dramatic presentations, transcriptions, or any other form prepared for a limited or general public.)
Extent
44.00 linear feet
Biographical or Historical Information
Born Oscar Robert Blechman in Brooklyn, NY, in 1930, young Blechman attained early success shortly after attending Oberlin College, when his illustrated Christmas story The Juggler of Our Lady became a hit in 1953. It was turned into an animated film in 1958, and the original book was reissued in 1997. It is now considered a classic and a progenitor of today’s thriving art form of graphic novels. An anthology of Blechman’s graphic stories titled Talking Lines was issued by the esteemed comics and graphic novels publisher Drawn & Quarterly in 2009.
Blechman opened a design studio in 1960, followed by The Ink Tank animation studio in 1977. Projects he directed spawned creative collaborations with eminent peers, such as children’s book author-illustrator Maurice Sendak and Push Pin design studio alumni Seymour Chwast and James McMullan. His diverse client list, which includes IBM, General Motors, Burger King, McDonalds, Johnson & Johnson, Hallmark, Sony, Perrier, the Smithsonian, and MTV, demonstrates just how widespread Blechman’s impact on American visual culture and commerce has been.
Blechman, who has been publishing cartoons and illustrations for the thinking man or woman since 1949, has always imbued his seemingly gentle cartoons with poignant social commentary, from race relations in 1958 and the Vietnam War in the 1960s to intolerance and disenfranchisement today. These have appeared in Humbug, The Village Voice, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Story, The Nation,and Huffington Post.
R.O. Blechman has been appointed to the Art Directors Hall of Fame and the New York Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame, and was honored with the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Cartoonists Society. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) curated a retrospective of The Ink Tank’s accomplishments in 2003.
(written by Jaleen Grove)
Note written by Jaleen Grove
Arrangement Note
Items are arranged by medium and material type. The contents of the collection are arranged as follows: Series 1: Original Artwork Sub-Series 1: Projects by R. O. Blechman Sub-Series 2: Projects by Other Ink Tank Artists Sub-Series 3: Photographic Materials Series 2: Professional Development Sub-Series 1: Correspondence Sub-Series 2: Ephemera Sub-Series 3: Exhibitions and Screenings Sub-Series 4: Invitations Sub-Series 5: Posters Sub-Series 6: Press Sub-Series 7: Publicity Sub-Series 8: Reports Sub-Series 9: Scrapbooks Sub-Series 10: Oversized Ephemera Series 3: Professional Projects Sub-Series 1: Caroline in the City Sub-Series 2: MTV Sub-Series 3: A Soldier's Tale
Method of Acquisition
The collection was acquired by the Dowd Modern Graphic History Library in January 2018.
Accruals and Additions
There are no accruals.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Sloan Brunner and Andrea Degener in August 2018.
Creator
- InkTank (Organization) (Creator, Organization)
- Blechman, R. O. (Robert O.), 1930- (Artist, Person)
- Chwast, Seymour (Artist, Person)
- Sendak, Maurice (Artist, Person)
- Title
- The Ink Tank Archive
- Author
- Sloan Brunner and Andrea Degener
- Date
- 00/00/2018
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- eng
Collecting Area Details
Part of the Dowd Illustration Research Archive Collecting Area
Andrea Degener, Interim Curator
West Campus Library
7425 Forsyth Blvd
Clayton MO 63105 US
(314) 935-5495
spec@wumail.wustl.edu