Finding aid for the Landon School of Illustrating and Cartooning Records

History of the Landon School of Illustrating and Cartooning

The Landon School of Illustrating and Cartooning was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1909 by C. N. (Charles Nelson) Landon (1879-1937). C. N. Landon was an illustrator for the Cleveland Press, art director for the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and an art editor for Cosmopolitan magazine. The Landon School of Illustrating and Cartooning was a mail-order correspondence course that trained many famous cartoonists in drawing for publication including Ethel Hays, Roy Crane, and Carl Barks. Landon enrolled anyone in his courses as long as they met the minimum age requirement of fifteen years. While the school taught a wide variety of comic styles, Landon's courses relied heavily upon the caricature style that was popular in the 1910s, including exaggerated action, heavily textured images, and clean lines. The school closed in 1937 upon the death of Landon, but his methods are still recognized for their fundamental, timeless approach to the basics of cartooning and illustrating.

Scope and Content

The Landon School of Illustrating and Cartooning Records, ca. 1910s-ca. 1920s, consist of lesson books.

This collection is of value to researchers studying the history of political cartooning in Cleveland, Ohio, and in the United States from 1909-1937. Those studying the history of correspondence schools and art instruction schools in the United States during the same time period will find this collection valuable. Those studying the professional activities of C. N. Landon in Cleveland, Ohio, will find this collection useful. Those seeking manuals and instruction in cartooning techniques and styles popular in the first half of the 20th century will find this collection valuable. Those seeking instruction on cartooning styles that emphasize Landon's signature exaggerated action and clean pen lines will find this collection useful.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 4401 C. N. Landon Papers.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5062 Landon School of Illustrating and Cartooning Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Allen County Public Library in 1990.

Processing Information

Processed by Margaret Burzynski-Bays in 2010.

Detailed Description of The Collection