Bruce Russell (American, 1903-1963) Music, Maest

Bruce Russell (American, 1903-1963) Music, Maestro, Please! and Self-Awarded Oscar, Los Angeles Times newspaper cartoons (two works), circa 1940 India ink, lithographic crayon, and gouache on heavyweight paper 17 x 12 inches (43.2 x 30.5 cm) (Music, Maestro, Please!, image) 18 x 14 inches (45.7 x 35.6 cm) (Self-Awarded Oscar, image) One signed lower right: Bruce Russell Bruce Russell joined the staff of the Los Angeles Times in 1927 as a sports cartoonist. He became the newspaper's lead editorial cartoonist in 1934, a position he held to his death in 1963. His work was syndicated by the Times and appeared in newspapers throughout the country. Mr. Russell was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1946. The title of Music, Maestro, Please! is taken from a popular radio show of the 1930s and 1940s. Published on April 23, 1942, it illustrates the need for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration to rein in inflation in the first year of America's participation as a combatant in World War II. Labor's demands for wage increases, the shift to war production, and attendant shortages caused prices to spike. Rationing and the National War Labor Board were the government's answers. Self-Awarded Oscar was published on March 8, 1946. President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal exacerbated tensions within the Democratic Party throughout his administration. Come April 1945, he was gone and Harry S. Truman was in office. New Deal policies remained in place yet were in transition to a new post-war, post-Depression era. President Truman brought in new advisers and intra-party tensions continued to grow. Republicans won control of the Senate and House of Representatives in the 1946 elections. (image size: 18" x 14"). Music, Maestro, Please! is inscribed and signed by the artist in the bottom margin: "with kindest regards Bruce Russell." Quantity: (2) HID03101062020 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.comxTexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Condition
Notable toning to Self Awarded Oscar example; light toning visible along extreme edges to Music Maestro Please example. Light creases with subsequent undulations through Music Maestro Please example, visible under raking light. Small areas of discoloration to money sign on snake and around FDR's instrument. Scattered handling creases and negligible tears along extreme edges of Self Awarded Oscar example; notable stabilized jagged tear at center left into areas of figure, about 4.5 inches. Light stains in right region of Self Awarded example, not affecting figure. Scattered pin points of surface dirt visible in areas of negative space of each. Wear and markings to margins of pages in keeping with illustration and publishing process. Each not framed. Each sheet overall: 20 x 14 inches and 20.5 x 16.25 inches Heritage Auctions strongly encourages in-person inspection of items by the bidder. Statements by Heritage regarding the condition of objects are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty, or assumption of liability by Heritage. All lots offered are sold "AS IS"