Charles Bissell Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection contains over 2800 original cartoons by Charles Bissell, longtime art director and cartoonist for The Tennessean. The collection spans from the 1940s to the 1970s. The cartoons are roughly sorted by date and are stored in 29 flat boxes.
Dates
- Creation: 1940s-1970s
Conditions Governing Access
This collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Special Collections in the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Collections should be requested 2-3 days prior to visiting in order to facilitate easier access. For questions or to request a collection, contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu.
Biographical Note - Charles Bissell
Charles Bissell (1908-2000), son of Sara Overman and Charles Jay Bissell, was born on 29 June 1908 in Nashville, Tennessee. He began his art career as a freelance lithographic and commercial artist at the age of 16. He joined the staff of The Tennessean as a political cartoonist in 1943 and, two years later, became the art director of The Tennessean’s Sunday Magazine. In 1962, he created his own cartoon feature, “Bissell’s Brave New World,” which ran until 1976. During the course of his career, he received the prestigious Cartoon Award from the National Headliners Club, a Distinguished Service Award from Sigma Delta Chi, and the Public Service Award from the National Safety Council. Bissell was a member of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and the National Cartoonist Society. He retired from The Tennessean in 1996. Bissell died in Nashville, Tennessee on 10 November 2000.
Full Extent
115 Linear Feet (1 letter Hollinger, 55 oversize boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Charles Bissell Collection, 1940-1979, contains cartoons, illustrations, correspondence, and other materials of political cartoonist and art director Charles Bissell, 1908-2000.
Topical
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Charles Bissell Collection
- Status
- Partially Processed
- Author
- Zach Johnson
- Date
- December 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives Repository
Special Collections Library
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville TN 37212 United States
specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu
About this Site
This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.
Requesting Materials
Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.