# Nelson Harding

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American editorial cartoonist (1879–1944)

Nelson Harding Harding, 1917–1918 Born (1879-10-31)October 31, 1879 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Died December 30, 1944(1944-12-30) (aged 65) The Bronx, New York, U.S. Occupation Cartoonist Employer The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Known for Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning Signature

**Nelson Harding** (October 31, 1879 – December 30, 1944) was an American [editorial cartoonist](/source/Editorial_cartoonist) for the *[Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle)*. He won the annual [Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning](/source/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Editorial_Cartooning) in both 1927 and 1928, and as of 2023 was the only cartoonist honored in consecutive years.[1]

## Early life and education

Harding was born in [Brooklyn](/source/Brooklyn). He attended [Greenwich Academy](/source/Greenwich_Academy), [the Chase School](/source/The_Chase_School), the [Art Students League of New York](/source/Art_Students_League_of_New_York), and the [New York School of Art](/source/New_York_School_of_Art). While at the Chase School, he was instructed by [Robert Henri](/source/Robert_Henri).[2]

## Career

In 1898, Harding served in the [Spanish–American War](/source/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War) with the [United States Volunteers](/source/United_States_Volunteers) and [71st New York Infantry Regiment](/source/71st_New_York_Infantry_Regiment). In 1901, he was promoted to sergeant under Major J.H. Wells.[2] Harding started working for the *[Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle)* in 1908, where he became a successful cartoonist.

Harding received a Pulitzer Prize in 1927 for "Toppling The Idol", of which he depicted the "passive effect of the League of Nations" when dealing with the war. He used the images of David and Goliath.[3] The particular cartoon cited in 1928, "May His Shadow Never Grow Less", was a tribute drawn at the end of the 1927 calendar year to flier [Charles Lindbergh](/source/Charles_Lindbergh),[4] it was for the flight across the Mexico America border to improve the relations between the two countries.[3] The Christmas-themed cartoon was published at the very end of 1927 and was eligible for Pulitzer consideration in 1928.[5]

His work was often politically conservative by the standards of his day. He took a leading role in opposition to what some New Yorkers considered to be a threat from [Bolshevism](/source/Bolshevism) in the late 1910s, during the so-called [First Red Scare](/source/First_Red_Scare). His cartoons portrayed political radicals as bomb-throwers and [terrorists](/source/Terrorism).[6]

## Pulitzer Prizes

### "Toppling the Idol"

For his cartoon that was published on September 19, 1926, Harding won the [Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning](/source/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Editorial_Cartooning) in 1927 with his cartoon "Toppling the Idol."[7] It depicts a group representing the [League of Nations](/source/League_of_Nations) dragging the statue of [Mars (mythology)](/source/Mars_(mythology)) off its pedestal.

### "May His Shadow Never Grow Less"

Published on December 15, 1927, the 1927 [Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning](/source/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Editorial_Cartooning) winner depicts the [Charles A. Lindbergh](/source/Charles_A._Lindbergh) flight from New York to Paris in a single-engine plane. The religious symbol on the ground with the words "Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men" was inspired by the approaching [Christmas](/source/Christmas) season.[7]

## Gallery

		- "Toppling the Idol", for which Harding received the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning

		- "May His Shadow Never Grow Less", for which Harding received the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning

		- There Was An Old Man Who Lived in a Shoe

		- Fooling With The Ouija Board

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Pulitzer_1-0)** ["Editorial Cartooning"](http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat/Editorial-Cartooning). The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2011-10-17.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Cooper,_S._W_1925_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Cooper,_S._W_1925_2-1) Cooper, S. W. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 30 August 1925. Newspaper article. 25 October 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Harding,_Nelson_1927_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Harding,_Nelson_1927_3-1) Harding, Nelson. "1927 Award about Conflict and Problem Solving in 1926 and 1927." Fischer, Heinz-Dietrich. Editorial Cartoon Awards 1922-1997. New York: Universal Press Syndicate and Sheed & Ward INC, 1999. 89-96. Book.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Education: Pulitzer Prizes"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101121005103/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,787247,00.html). *[TIME](/source/TIME)*. May 14, 1928. Archived from [the original](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,787247,00.html) on November 21, 2010. Retrieved 2011-10-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["A Month of Pulitzer Prize Winning Cartoons - Day 22"](https://www.cbr.com/a-month-of-pulitzer-prize-winning-cartoons-day-22/). *CBR*. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2020-09-21.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Newman_6-0)** ["Red Scare: Nelson Harding – Illustrator"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110912065942/http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/digital/redscare/HTMLCODE/SUBJECTS/HARDING1.HTM). [Baruch College](/source/Baruch_College). Archived from [the original](http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/digital/redscare/htmlcode/subjects/HARDING1.HTM) on September 12, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-17.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-5-6_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-5-6_7-1) “5-6. Toppling the Idol.” The Lines Are Drawn: American Life since the First World War as Reflected in the Pulitzer Prize Cartoons, by Gerald W. Johnson, Lippincott, 1958, pp. 48–59.

## External links

- Media related to [Nelson Harding](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Nelson_Harding) at Wikimedia Commons

- [Works by Nelson Harding](https://www.loc.gov/search/?fa=contributor%3Aharding%2C+nelson) at the [Library of Congress](/source/Library_of_Congress)

v t e Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary Previously the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning from 1922–2021 1922–1950 Rollin Kirby (1922) Ding Darling (1924) Rollin Kirby (1925) D. R. Fitzpatrick (1926) Nelson Harding (1927) Nelson Harding (1928) Rollin Kirby (1929) Charles R. Macauley (1930) Edmund Duffy (1931) John T. McCutcheon (1932) H. M. Talburt (1933) Edmund Duffy (1934) Ross A. Lewis (1935) C. D. Batchelor (1937) Vaughn Shoemaker (1938) Charles G. Werner (1939) Edmund Duffy (1940) Jacob Burck (1941) Herbert Lawrence Block (1942) Ding Darling (1943) Clifford K. Berryman (1944) Sergeant Bill Mauldin (1945) Bruce Alexander Russell (1946) Vaughn Shoemaker (1947) Reuben L. Goldberg (1948) Lute Pease (1949) James T. Berryman (1950) 1951–1975 Reg (Reginald W.) Manning (1951) Fred L. Packer (1952) Edward D. Kuekes (1953) Herbert Lawrence Block (1954) Daniel R. Fitzpatrick (1955) Robert York (1956) Tom Little (1957) Bruce M. Shanks (1958) William H. (Bill) Mauldin (1959) Carey Orr (1961) Edmund S. Valtman (1962) Frank Miller (1963) Paul Conrad (1964) Don Wright (1966) Patrick B. Oliphant (1967) Eugene Gray Payne (1968) John Fischetti (1969) Thomas F. Darcy (1970) Paul Conrad (1971) Jeff MacNelly (1972) Paul Szep (1974) Garry Trudeau (1975) 1976–2000 Tony Auth (1976) Paul Szep (1977) Jeff MacNelly (1978) Herbert Lawrence Block (1979) Don Wright (1980) Mike Peters (1981) Ben Sargent (1982) Richard Locher (1983) Paul Conrad (1984) Jeff MacNelly (1985) Jules Feiffer (1986) Berkeley Breathed (1987) Doug Marlette (1988) Jack Higgins (1989) Tom Toles (1990) Jim Borgman (1991) Signe Wilkinson (1992) Stephen R. Benson (1993) Michael Ramirez (1994) Mike Luckovich (1995) Jim Morin (1996) Walt Handelsman (1997) Stephen P. Breen (1998) David Horsey (1999) Joel Pett (2000) 2001–2025 Ann Telnaes (2001) Clay Bennett (2002) David Horsey (2003) Matt Davies (2004) Nick Anderson (2005) Mike Luckovich (2006) Walt Handelsman (2007) Michael Ramirez (2008) Stephen P. Breen (2009) Mark Fiore (2010) Mike Keefe (2011) Matt Wuerker (2012) Steve Sack (2013) Kevin Siers (2014) Adam Zyglis (2015) Jack Ohman (2016) Jim Morin (2017) Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan (2018) Darrin Bell (2019) Barry Blitt (2020) Fahmida Azim, Anthony Del Col, Walt Hickey and Josh Adams (2022) Mona Chalabi (2023) Medar de la Cruz (2024) Ann Telnaes (2025)

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