Anthony J. Mourek collection

Collection

Identifier: Modern-MS-Mourek

Staff Only

Scope and Content of the Collection

Original artwork, printed reproductions, postcards, some correspondence, and a variety of political ephemera (business cards, political fliers, and tickets to national party conventions), collected by Anthony J. Mourek (1943-2021).

Dates

Creation: 1870s-1968
Creation: Majority of material found within 1893-1943

Creator

Mourek, Anthony J., 1943- (Person)

Language

Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This material is in process, and available by appointment only. Please contact reference@newberry.org at least 5 business days in advance to request an appointment.

Conditions Governing Access

The Anthony J. Mourek collection is open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Anthony J. Mourek collection is the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections at reference@newberry.org.

Biography of Anthony J. Mourek

Chicago area collector of political cartoons.

Anthony John Mourek was born in 1943 in Chicago and grew up in Riverside. He learned the real estate business from his father, a well-to-do real estate developer. It was also from his father that he received his first gift of a political cartoon. That gift, an original drawing from 1927 by Chicago Tribune editorial cartoonist John T. McCutcheon, sparked his lifelong fascination with history and political cartoons, which he considered "the intersection of politics, history, and art." He was especially drawn to the artwork of Arthur "Art" Young (1866-1943), and collected both original artwork and printed versions of the cartoons of his. He also collected widely in American and British cartoonists, including Thomas Nast, John Tenniel, and James Gillray.

Mourek was an active member of the Caxton Club of Chicago, the Manuscript Society, and many other Chicago area museums, historical societies, and libraries. He died at the age of 78 in 2021.

-excerpted and quoted from "Remembering Anthony Mourek," in Caxtonian, Volume XXX No. 3, May/June 2022.

Extent

32 Linear Feet (19 boxes and oversize boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

Political cartoons and ephemera, compiled by collector Anthony J. Mourek. Primarily original political cartoon artwork of cartoonist Arthur "Art" Young along with some zinc plates and proofs of Art Young cartoons. Collection also includes artwork by Thomas Nast, John Tenniel, and others, correspondence, postcards, and printed political ephemera.