1963 White Manuscript Political Cartoon of the Space Race and the High Cost of Living

Rising costs of Tampa living - explained through space travel.

This is a c. 1962 or 1963 George White manuscript political cartoon that combines elements of the Space Race and concerns about the high cost of living in Florida.

A Closer Look

In the cartoon, a middle-aged man (referred to as 'Pop') rides in a spaceship shaped like a billfold. The ship, or capsule if you will, is named 'Ye Family Billfold' and it is soaring high above the Earth, even higher than a trio of artificial satellites. 'Pop' appears to be gravely concerned, as the 'Billfold' is losing money at an unsustainable rate as it zooms through space. The phrase 'high cost of living' appears above the 'Billfold', and a sign over the Atlantic reads 'Down to Earth Prices'. The Moon appears at left with a look of concern on its face.

Dating This Piece

We have combed through digitized editions of The Tampa Tribune, where White worked as a cartoonist, and have been unable to locate a published version of this cartoon. Given the combination of the high cost of living and discussions about reentry of space capsules, we have dated this piece c. 1962 or 1963 during NASA's Mercury Program. Two Mercury capsules, Friendship 7 (piloted by astronaut John Glenn) and Faith 7 (piloted by astronaut Gordon Cooper), experienced problems on reentry, but both safely returned to Earth. White passed away in 1964, making it impossible for the cartoon to reference any later missions.

Publication History and Census

This cartoon was drawn by George White c. 1962 or 1963. Since this is the original manuscript (hand-drawn) artwork for this cartoon, it represents a one-of-a-kind piece.

Cartographer

George White (1901 - March 7, 1964) was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and relocated to Tampa with this family in 1915. White studied art under Tampa artist Walter Collins and began work as a commercial artist at the Tampa Morning Tribune in 1928 and by 1934 was a regular cartoonist at the Tribune. Rather unconventionally, the paper featured his cartoons on the front page. His work displays the evolving course of America's domestic and geopolitics from the interwar period, through World War II, and into the Cold War.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Manuscript.