Top of page

Photo, Print, Drawing Secret Agent X-9. The iron hand. Mother or rich aunt? Girl to decide in court / by Alex Raymond.

[ digital file from original drawing ]

Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress.

About this Item

Title

  • Secret Agent X-9. The iron hand. Mother or rich aunt? Girl to decide in court / by Alex Raymond.

Summary

  • Four-panel comic strip shows men speculating over a newspaper article reporting a court case in which a poor mother and a rich aunt battle over custody of a little girl. The little girl is brought in to court by a harsh nurse who insists that the girl testify that her mother was cruel. Secret Agent X-9 was a comic strip created by William Randolph Hearst's King Features Syndicate in 1934 to compete with the popular strip Dick Tracy. Dashiell Hammet (creator of Sam Spade and other popular fictional detectives) and Alex Raymond (creator of Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim) collaborated on the new strip for the first year. Agent X-9 was a curious mix of mysterious agent and private detective. The strip was continued with other writers and artists until 1996.

Names

  • Hammett, Dashiell, 1894-1961.
  • Raymond, Alex, 1909-1956, artist

Created / Published

  • c1934 December 24.

Headings

  • -  Newspaper headlines--1930-1940
  • -  Judicial proceedings--1930-1940
  • -  Adoption--1930-1940

Headings

  • Comics--American--1930-1940.
  • Ink drawings--American--1930-1940.

Genre

  • Comics--American--1930-1940
  • Ink drawings--American--1930-1940

Notes

  • -  Title from item.
  • -  Copyright 1934, King Features Syndicate, Inc., Great Britain rights reserved.
  • -  Forms part of: Art Wood Collection of Caricature and Cartoon (Library of Congress).
  • -  Unprocessed in WOOD/Raymond.268
  • -  Portion of title from verso; inscribed above drawing "N Announcer"/ww
  • -  Sources: Sources: Hammett, Secret Agent X-9, 1990, p. 4-16; Don Markstein's toonopedia [online] ljr

Medium

  • 1 drawing : ink brush and blue pencil with scraping out over graphite underdrawing, with paste-on ; 17.1 x 68.4 cm (sheet)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Unprocessed in PR 13 CN 2001:055-4 [item] [P&P]

Repository

  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Digital Id

  • ppmsca 07741 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.07741

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2005677337

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-ppmsca-07741 (digital file from original drawing)

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

  • Rights Advisory: Rights status not evaluated. For general information see "Copyright and Other Restrictions...," https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/195_copr.html
  • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-07741 (digital file from original drawing)
  • Call Number: Unprocessed in PR 13 CN 2001:055-4 [item] [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. (Some images display only as thumbnails outside the Library of Congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site.)

Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

  1. If a digital image is displaying: The qualities of the digital image partially depend on whether it was made from the original or an intermediate such as a copy negative or transparency. If the Reproduction Number field above includes a reproduction number that starts with LC-DIG..., then there is a digital image that was made directly from the original and is of sufficient resolution for most publication purposes.
  2. If there is information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can use the reproduction number to purchase a copy from Duplication Services. It will be made from the source listed in the parentheses after the number.

    If only black-and-white ("b&w") sources are listed and you desire a copy showing color or tint (assuming the original has any), you can generally purchase a quality copy of the original in color by citing the Call Number listed above and including the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

  3. If there is no information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can generally purchase a quality copy through Duplication Services. Cite the Call Number listed above and include the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

Price lists, contact information, and order forms are available on the Duplication Services Web site.

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Hammett, Dashiell, and Alex Raymond. Secret Agent X-9. The iron hand. Mother or rich aunt? Girl to decide in court / by Alex Raymond. , ca. 1934. December 24. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2005677337/.

APA citation style:

Hammett, D. & Raymond, A. (ca. 1934) Secret Agent X-9. The iron hand. Mother or rich aunt? Girl to decide in court / by Alex Raymond. , ca. 1934. December 24. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2005677337/.

MLA citation style:

Hammett, Dashiell, and Alex Raymond. Secret Agent X-9. The iron hand. Mother or rich aunt? Girl to decide in court / by Alex Raymond. December 24. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2005677337/>.