This striking combination of political cartoons was originally drawn by the talented Bill Mauldin for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1964 and 1965. Both are condemnatory of the nation’s lax environmental protection laws, which were coming under increased scrutiny at the time. The first sheet, titled Heritage, shows a young boy attempting to fish on the banks of a heavily polluted River. The belching smokestacks and polluting pipelines have made it impossible. The second comic shows a pair of smug businessmen gloating over their industrial successes – “Just think – Once this was nothing but raw wilderness.” William ‘Bill’ Mauldin (1921 – 2003) was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist who became a voice for the common soldier during World War II with his “Willie and Joe” characters. After gaining national fame for his gritty, realistic depictions of military life, he moved to the Chicago Sun-Times in 1962, where he spent nearly three decades as a prominent political commentator. He is perhaps most revered at the Sun-Times for his iconic 1963 “Weeping Lincoln” cartoon, which poignantly captured the nation’s grief following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Throughout his long tenure in Chicago, Mauldin used his signature ink-heavy style to challenge authority and advocate for civil rights until his retirement in 1991. Sources: PBS; Encyclopedia Britannica; Chicago Sun Times;
