Guide to the Merle H. Cunnington Collection

Special Collections & Archives
University Library
California State University, Northridge
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Northridge, CA 91330-8326
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Contributing Institution: Special Collections & Archives
Title: Merle H. Cunnington Collection
Creator: Cunnington, Merle H., 1931-2013
Identifier/Call Number: URB.MHC
Physical Description: 7.81 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1964-2012
Date (bulk): 1964-1983
Abstract: Merle Howard Cunnington (1931-2013) was an editorial cartoonist, both freelance and on staff at the Van Nuys News & Green Sheet from 1964-1978. The collection consists primarily of preliminary drawings and tear sheets, as well as a handwritten autobiography (through 1979), correspondence, lists, and other materials. Topics of interest include the Vietnam conflict, the energy crisis, school busing, the environment, social security, and Right-to-Work legislation.
Language of Material: English.

Biographical Information:

Merle Howard Cunnington (1931-2013) was born near Sun Valley, Idaho in 1931. He studied history and political science at Utah State University, graduating in 1953. He met his future wife, Elsie Mae, in 1956 at friend's wedding in the San Fernando Valley. They married in 1957 and had three children.
Cunnington worked at the Chevy plant in Van Nuys, California prior to his hiring as a teacher at Pacoima Jr. High School, where he worked from 1957-1960. In 1961, he transferred to Columbus Jr. High School, where he taught history and art until his retirement. He also taught art and cartooning classes at Pierce College, the California State University, Northridge Extension, and Ventura College.
His interest in art led his to study at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. Cunnington used the pen name McHoward for the first years of his cartooning career. He began working as a free-lance cartoonist for the Valley News in 1964 and was doing five cartoons a week when he left in May of 1978, just a few years after the paper was bought by the Chicago Tribune Co. In 1975 he illustrated The San Fernando Valley by Jackson Mayers.

Scope and Contents

The Merle H. Cunnington Collection consists primarily of preliminary drawings and tear sheets, as well as a handwritten autobiography (through 1979), correspondence, lists, and other materials. The collection documents such topics as the Vietnam conflict, the energy crisis, school busing, the environment, social security, and Right-to-Work legislation. Also of interest are a small number of illustrations from the Jackson Mayer book The San Fernando Valley (1976). The collection has been divided into two series: General Files (1964-2012) and Drawings (1964-1978).
Series I, General Files, documents the business and professional development aspects of Cunnington's artistic career. The series includes accounting and payment information, professional journals and correspondence, and ideas for future drawings. This series consists of correspondence, lists, and other similar materials, and is arranged alphabetically.
Series II, Drawings, consists entirely of Cunnington's preliminary drawings and published tear sheets. Topics of interest include the Vietnam conflict, energy crisis, school busing, the environment, social security, and Right-to-Work legislation. Also of interest are a small number of illustrations from the Jackson Mayer book The San Fernando Valley (1976). The series has been further divided into two subseries. Subseries A, Preliminary Drawings (1964-1978), consists of hand-drawn ink sketches of many of Cunnington's editorial cartoons. There are also a small number of copies or transparencies when no original drawing was present. Additionally there are two printing plates from the Valley News. Subseries B, Tear Sheets (1964-1978), consists of editorial cartoons as they appeared in publications, primarily the Valley News & Green Sheet. Materials are arranged chronologically.

Arrangement of Materials:

Series I: General Files, 1964-2012
Series II: Drawings, 1964-1978
    Subseries A: Preliminary Drawings, 1964-1978
    Subseries B: Tear Sheets, 1964-1978

Conditions Governing Access:

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Merle Howard Cunnington. 2012.

Preferred Citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materials  guide.

Processing Information:

April Feldman, 2013

General

Other Information:
This collection was processed with generous support from the Tom W. Reilly estate.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Documents

 

Series I: General Files, 1964-2012

Box 1, Folder 1

13th International Salon of Cartoons, 1976

Box 1, Folder 2

Accounting, Drawings, 1964-1969

Box 1, Folder 3

Accounting, Drawings, 1970-1974

Box 1, Folder 4

American Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, Annual Convention, 1973, 1990-2004

Box 1, Folder 5

American Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, Membership lists, 1969, 1983, 1990-1996

Box 1, Folder 6

California State University, Northridge Cartooning Class, 1977

Box 1, Folder 7

Cartoonews, No. 17, 1977

Box 1, Folder 8

Correspondence, 1967, 1969

Box 1, Folder 9

Correspondence, 1970-1979

Box 14, Folder 1

Correspondence, 1970-1979

Box 1, Folder 10

Correspondence, 1981-2012

Box 1, Folder 11

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 12

Cunnington, Merle H, Personal History

Box 1, Folder 13

Drawings in Galleries, Sold or Given

Box 1, Folder 14

Drawings, Other

Box 14, Folder 2

Drawings, Other

Box 1, Folder 15

Editorial Cartoons, Brochures and Catalogs, 1983, 1991-1993

Box 1, Folder 16

The Festival of Cartoon Art, 1983

Box 1, Folder 17

Ford, Gerald, Drawings, 1975

Box 14, Folder 3

Ford, Gerald, Drawings, 1975

Box 1, Folder 18

Ideas and Notes, 1965-1971

Box 1, Folder 19

International Biographical Center Magazine, 1977

Box 1, Folder 20

Newspaper Clippings

Box 1, Folder 21

Notes, 1969-1977, 2011

Box 1, Folder 22

Payment Requests, 1965-1967

Box 1, Folder 23

Payment Requests, 1968-1974

Box 1, Folder 24

San Diego Union, 1970-1971

Box 1, Folder 25

San Fernando Valley History, 1975

Box 14, Folder 4

San Fernando Valley History, 1975

Box 15, Item 1

San Fernando Valley History Photograph, 1975

Box 15, Item 2

San Fernando Valley History Photograph, 1975

 

Series II: Drawings, 1964-1978

 

Subseries A: Preliminary Drawings, 1964-1978

Box 2, Folder 1

1964

Box 2, Folder 2

1964

Box 2, Folder 3

1964

Box 2, Folder 4

ca. 1964

Box 2, Folder 5

ca. 1964-ca. 1966

Box 2, Folder 6

1964

Box 2, Folder 7

1965

Box 2, Folder 8

1965

Box 2, Folder 9

ca. 1965-ca. 1967

Box 2, Folder 10

January-June 1966

Box 2, Folder 11

July-December 1966

Box 2, Folder 12

1966

Box 2, Folder 13

1966

Box 2, Folder 14

January-June 1967

Box 2, Folder 15

July-September 1967

Box 2, Folder 16

1967

Box 3, Folder 1

ca. 1967

Box 3, Folder 2

ca. 1967

Box 3, Folder 3

January-March 1968

Box 3, Folder 4

January-March 1968

Box 3, Folder 5

April-June 1968

Box 3, Folder 6

April-June 1968

Box 3, Folder 7

July-December 1968

Box 3, Folder 8

1968

Box 3, Folder 9

ca. 1968

Box 3, Folder 10

ca. 1968

Box 3, Folder 11

ca. 1968

Box 3, Folder 12

ca. 1968

Box 3, Folder 13

ca. 1968

Box 3, Folder 14

1969

Box 3, Folder 15

1969

Box 3, Folder 16

1969

Box 4, Folder 1

ca. 1969-ca. 1970

Box 4, Folder 2

ca. 1969-ca. 1970

Box 4, Folder 3

ca. 1969-ca. 1970

Box 4, Folder 4

ca. 1969-ca. 1970

Box 4, Folder 5

January-March 1970

Box 4, Folder 6

January-March 1970

Box 4, Folder 7

April-June 1970

Box 4, Folder 8

April-June 1970

Box 4, Folder 9

July 1970

Box 4, Folder 10

August-September 1970

Box 4, Folder 11

October-November 1970

Box 4, Folder 12

November-December 1970

Box 5, Folder 1

ca. 1970

Box 5, Folder 2

ca. 1970

Box 5, Folder 3

January-March 1971

Box 5, Folder 4

April-June 1971

Box 5, Folder 5

April-June 1971

Box 5, Folder 6

June-September 1971

Box 5, Folder 7

July-September 1971

Box 5, Folder 8

October-December 1971

Box 5, Folder 9

October-December 1971

Box 5, Folder 10

1971

Box 5, Folder 11

1971

Box 5, Folder 12

1971

Box 5, Folder 13

ca. 1971

Box 6, Folder 1

January-March 1972

Box 6, Folder 2

January-March 1972

Box 6, Folder 3

April-June 1972

Box 6, Folder 4

April-June 1972

Box 6, Folder 5

July-September 1972

Box 6, Folder 6

October-December 1972

Box 6, Folder 7

October-December 1972

Box 6, Folder 8

1972

Box 6, Folder 9

January-March 1973

Box 6, Folder 10

January-March 1973

Box 6, Folder 11

April-June 1973

Box 6, Folder 12

April-June 1973

Box 7, Folder 1

July-September 1973

Box 7, Folder 2

1973

Box 7, Folder 3

1973

Box 7, Folder 4

October-December 1973

Box 7, Folder 5

1973

Box 7, Folder 6

January-March 1974

Box 7, Folder 7

April-June 1974

Box 7, Folder 8

July-September 1974

Box 7, Folder 9

October-December 1974

Box 7, Folder 10

October-December 1974

Box 7, Folder 11

1974

Box 7, Folder 12

1974

Box 7, Folder 13

ca. 1974

Box 8, Folder 1

January-March 1975

Box 8, Folder 2

April-June 1975

Box 8, Folder 3

July-September 1975

Box 8, Folder 4

July-September 1975

Box 8, Folder 5

October-December 1975

Box 8, Folder 6

October-December 1975

Box 8, Folder 7

1975

Box 10, Folder 7

U.S. Marine Corps Insignia for Valley News, 1975

Box 8, Folder 8

ca. 1975

Box 8, Folder 9

January-March 1976

Box 8, Folder 10

April 1976

Box 8, Folder 11

July-September 1976

Box 8, Folder 12

July-September 1976

Box 9, Folder 1

October-December 1976

Box 9, Folder 2

October-December 1976

Box 9, Folder 3

1976

Box 9, Folder 4

1976

Box 9, Folder 5

ca. 1976

Box 9, Folder 6

January-March 1977

Box 9, Folder 7

January-March 1977

Box 9, Folder 8

April-June 1977

Box 9, Folder 9

April-June 1977

Box 9, Folder 10

July-September 1977

Box 9, Folder 11

July-September 1977

Box 9, Folder 12

October-December 1977

Box 9, Folder 13

October-December 1977

Box 10, Folder 1

1977

Box 10, Folder 2

1978

Box 10, Folder 3

1978

Box 10, Folder 4

1978

Box 10, Folder 9

Printing Plate, Negotiating, undated

Box 10, Folder 8

Printing Plate, Snails, undated

Box 10, Folder 5

Undated

Box 10, Folder 6

Undated, Unsigned

 

Subseries B: Tear Sheets, 1964-1978

Box 11, Folder 1

1964

Box 11, Folder 2

ca. 1964

Box 11, Folder 3

1965

Box 11, Folder 4

1965

Box 11, Folder 5

ca. 1965

Box 11, Folder 6

January-June 1966

Box 11, Folder 7

July-December 1966

Box 11, Folder 8

1966

Box 11, Folder 9

January-June 1967

Box 11, Folder 10

July-September 1967

Box 11, Folder 11

October-December 1967

Box 11, Folder 12

January-March 1968

Box 11, Folder 13

April-June 1968

Box 11, Folder 14

July-December 1968

Box 11, Folder 15

1968

Box 11, Folder 16

ca. 1968

Box 11, Folder 17

1969

Box 11, Folder 18

January-March 1970

Box 11, Folder 19

April-June 1970

Box 11, Folder 20

July-September 1970

Box 11, Folder 21

October-December 1970

Box 11, Folder 22

January-March 1971

Box 11, Folder 23

April-June 1971

Box 11, Folder 24

July-September 1971

Box 11, Folder 25

October-December 1971

Box 11, Folder 26

1971

Box 11, Folder 27

January-March 1972

Box 12, Folder 1

April-June 1972

Box 12, Folder 2

July-September 1972

Box 12, Folder 3

October-December 1972

Box 12, Folder 4

1972

Box 12, Folder 5

January-March 1973

Box 12, Folder 6

April-June 1973

Box 12, Folder 7

July-September 1973

Box 12, Folder 8

October-December 1978

Box 12, Folder 9

1973

Box 12, Folder 10

January-March 1974

Box 12, Folder 11

April-June 1974

Box 12, Folder 12

July-September 1974

Box 12, Folder 13

October-December 1974

Box 12, Folder 14

January-March 1975

Box 12, Folder 15

April-June 1975

Box 12, Folder 16

July-September 1975

Box 12, Folder 17

October-December 1975

Box 12, Folder 18

January-March 1976

Box 12, Folder 19

April 1976

Box 12, Folder 20

July-September 1976

Box 12, Folder 21

October-December 1976

Box 12, Folder 22

ca. 1976

Box 12, Folder 23

January-March 1977

Box 12, Folder 24

April-June 1977

Box 13, Folder 1

July-September 1977

Box 13, Folder 2

October-December 1977

Box 13, Folder 3

1978

Box 13, Folder 4

Undated

Box 13, Folder 5

Undated, Unsigned