Karl Hubenthal (American, 1917-1998) A Matter of

Karl Hubenthal (American, 1917-1998) A Matter of Face and Maybe Now We Will See More Clearly!, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner newspaper cartoons (two works), 1960; 1981 India ink, and lithographic crayon 15-1x2 x 9-1x4 inches (39.4 x 23.5 cm) (A Matter of Face, image) 9-1x2 x 9-1x2 inches (24.1 x 24.1 cm) (Maybe Now We Will See More Clearly!, image) One signed and dated lower left: Karl Hubenthal 1-25-81; one signed lower right: Hokusai Hubenthal In a 47-year career, beginning in 1935, Karl Hubenthal was a staff artist, editorial and sports cartoonist for the Los Angeles Herald-Express, Los Angeles Examiner, and Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. His work was syndicated to newspapers throughout the Hearst publishing empire, and he received numerous awards for his work. These two (2) striking cartoons featuring Uncle Sam were published in 1960 and 1981. A Matter of Face, illustrates President Dwight D. Eisenhower's June 1960 nine-day goodwill journey to solidify alliances in Asia that featured stops in the Philippines, Okinawa, Korea and Japan. In May Japan's National Diet had approved a new "Security Treaty" with the United States. Uncle Sam carries that new treaty and is undeterred by "left-wing students" who violently demonstrated against the treaty earlier in June in Tokyo. Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev is portrayed as the supporter of those protestors, hiding behind a fearsome Kabuki mask and wielding a "Yankee Go Home" banner. It is drawn in the style of traditional Japanese art and signed "Hokusai Hubenthal" in tribute to the great Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai. Maybe Now We Will See More Clearly!, published January 25, 1981, commemorates the end of the most humiliating episode in American foreign affairs in the past fifty or more years. For 444 days, from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, American diplomats and civilian personnel were held hostage in Tehran by the revolutionary Iranian government of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations facilitated by Algeria and the election of Ronald Reagan to the US Presidency on November 4, 1980, finally brought about release of the hostages on January 20, 1981, only minutes after Reagan was sworn in as President. Weakness and lack of insight stand in opposition to new-found determination and commitment to "a strong foreign policy" in the two portraits of Uncle Sam. (image size: 9.5" x 9.5") Maybe Now We Will Side More Clearly is inscribed and signed by the artist "For Murray Harris — I'm flattered to be included in your collection! Best Regards, Hubie." Quantity: (2) HID03101062020 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.comxTexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Condition
Very light toning to each example. Very light surface dirt most visible along extreme edges. Soft handling creases in lower left margin and upper right margin of largest example, not affecting central image. Wear and markings to margins of pages in keeping with illustration and publishing process. Each not framed. Each sheet overall: 19 x 14 inches and 11 x 11 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"