October 15, 2003 Swann Foundation Announces 2004-2005 Fellowship in Caricature and Cartoon

The Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon is now accepting applications for its graduate fellowship. The Swann Foundation awards one fellowship annually (with a stipend of $15,000) to support continuing scholarly research and writing projects in the field of caricature and cartoon. Completed applications are due Feb. 13, 2004, and notification will occur in spring 2004. The fellowship will cover the 2004-2005 academic year.

To be eligible, an applicant must be a candidate for an M.A. or a Ph.D. degree in a university in the United States, Canada or Mexico and working toward the completion of a dissertation or thesis for that degree, or engaged in postgraduate research within three years of receiving an M.A. or a Ph.D from an institution in one of those countries.

Although research must be in the field of caricature and cartoon, there is no limitation regarding the place or time period covered. Since the Foundation encourages research in a variety of academic disciplines, there is no restriction upon the university department in which this work is being done, provided the subject pertains to caricature or cartoon art.

In the interest of increasing awareness and extending documentation of Library of Congress collections, fellows are required to make use of the Library’s collections, be in residence for at least two weeks during the award period and deliver a public lecture at the Library on his or her work in progress at that time. Finally, recipients must provide a copy of their dissertation, thesis, or postgraduate publication, upon completion, for the Swann Foundation Fellowship files.

New York advertising executive Erwin Swann (1906-1973) established the Swann Foundation for Carciature and Cartoon in 1967. An avid collector, Swann assembled a large group of original drawings by 400 artists, spanning two centuries, which his estate bequeathed to the Library of Congress in two installments in 1974 and 1977. Swann’s original purpose was to compile a collection of original drawings by significant humorous and satiric artists, and to encourage the study of original cartoon and caricature drawings as works of art. The emphasis on original works serves two purposes: to preserve art that is too often lost or casually destroyed and to foster critical appreciation for aesthetic qualities such as draftsmanship, subtlety of line and wash in artists’ original work—qualities that are lost in reproductions.

The Foundation’s support of research and academic publication is carried out in part through its program of fellowships. The application for the Swann Foundation fellowship requires a statement of qualifications, project description, research needs and a budget. The Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon, now administered by the Library of Congress, is overseen by an advisory board composed of scholars, collectors, cartoonists and Library of Congress staff members. Its activities support the study, interpretation, preservation and appreciation of original works of humorous and satiric art by graphic artists from around the world.

Guidelines and application forms are available through the Swann Foundation’s Web site: www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swannhome.html, by e-mailing: swann@loc.gov, or by calling Martha Kennedy in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress at (202) 707-9115.