Rollin Kirby (American, 1875-1952) Do It Now!, N

Rollin Kirby (American, 1875-1952) Do It Now!, New York Post newspaper cartoon, August 21, 1941 India ink, lithographic crayon, and gouache on heavyweight paper 15 x 12 inches (38.1 x 30.5 cm) (image) Signed lower right: Rollin Kirby Rollin Kirby was the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1921, and during his illustrious career he received that award three times: 1921, 1922 and 1928. He was with the New York World in the 1920s and 1930s and the New York Post from 1939 to 1942. His work also appeared in Look magazine and The New York Times Sunday Magazine. He was a staunch critic of Wall Street, the New York political machine, fascism and the Ku Klux Klan while a crusader for civil liberties, female suffrage and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. This handsome original was published in the New York Post on August 21, 1941. After the German conquest of France, the United States maintained diplomatic relations with the Vichy Government that controlled a portion of the country under German supervision. Many in the US urged a break with Vichy, as seen in this cartoon featuring Uncle Sam stalking out of that puppet state. However, it was not until November 9, 1942, following the American invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch), that relations were severed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's statement of November 9, 1942, reads: The representative of this Government at Vichy has reported that last evening M. Laval, Chief of the Government at Vichy, notified him that diplomatic relations between Vichy and this Government had been severed. I regret this action on the part of M. Laval. He is evidently still speaking the language prescribed by Hitler. The Government of the United States can do nothing about this severance of relations on the part of the Vichy Government. Nevertheless, no act of Hitler, or of any of his puppets, can sever relations between the American people and the people of France. We have not broken relations with the French. We never will. This Government will continue as heretofore to devote its thought, its sympathy and its aid to the rescue of the forty-five million people of France from enslavement and from a permanent loss of their liberties and free institutions. HID03101062020 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.comxTexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Condition
Light scattered pin points of surface dirt and stains to margins. Wear and markings in keeping with illustration and publishing process. Not framed. Sheet overall: 18.25 x 14.5 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"