Drawn To Combat: Bill Mauldin & The Art of War

Take a peek inside the exhibit, "Drawn to Combat: Bill Mauldin & The Art of War."

The exhibition highlights the active role that Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Bill Mauldin took in documenting and satirizing foreign and domestic military and political affairs throughout his career. As a nationally syndicated political cartoonist for more than fifty years, Mauldin covered everything from the civil rights movement to sports, but he is perhaps best known for his work covering military topics, beginning with his characters Willie and Joe during WWII. From his earliest years learning to draw, to his time in service during WWII, Bill Mauldin gained an insider’s view of how soldiers thought and acted, the men leading them, and all aspects of life in uniform. The exhibit addresses many of the military themes he would continuously employ throughout his career, as well as his work commenting on the political landscape of the 2nd half of the twentieth century as an editorial cartoonist. The exhibit consists of approximately 150 framed drawings and published cartoons, as well as personal material from Bill Mauldin’s exceptional career; including his Pulitzer Prize awards, fan letters, and Purple Heart medal.

View the exhibit through a virtual tour, hosted by WTTW's Geoffrey Baer.