• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ransom Center Magazine

  • Sections
    • Art
    • Books + Manuscripts
    • Conservation
    • Exhibitions + Events
    • Film
    • Literature
    • Photography
    • Research + Teaching
    • Theatre + Performing Arts
  • Archive
  • Print Edition

About Amy Brown

Brown was a cataloger at the Ransom Center, processing materials in all formats and of all ages. She also supervised authorities and catalog maintenance in the Printed & Published Materials, Description & Access department.

Gabriel García Márquez’s republic of letters

December 1, 2016 - Amy Brown

Rapi Diego's "El sapo hechizado" (1997). Photos by Pete Smith.

I have always loved to catalog presentation copies of books—those given as a gift from one person to another, usually with a signature or inscription. They represent a tiny piece of the people involved, and allow me to feel a connection to some of my favorite authors. Gabriel García Márquez’s library was no exception. [Read more…] about Gabriel García Márquez’s republic of letters

Filed Under: Authors, Books + Manuscripts, Cataloging Tagged With: Alvaro Mutis, Amy Brown, Authors, Carlos Fuentes, catalog, El Sapo Hechizado, Eliseo Diego, Evidence, Fidel Castro, Gabo, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gabriel García Márquez presentation library, La Historia Me Absolverá, Latin America, literature, Orhan Pamuk, presentation book, presentation copy, presentation library, Richard Avedon, The Museum of Innocence

Gabriel García Márquez y su república de las letras

December 1, 2016 - Amy Brown

Fidel Castro's "La historia me absolvera" (1973). Photos by Pete Smith.

Una de las actividades que más disfruto es catalogar los llamados ‘libros de presentación’, los cuales son regalados por los autores, usualmente con una dedicatoria y/o un autógrafo. [Read more…] about Gabriel García Márquez y su república de las letras

Filed Under: Authors, Books + Manuscripts, Cataloging Tagged With: Alvaro Mutis, Amy Brown, autores, biblioteca de presentación, biblioteca de presentación Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, catalogar, copia de presentación, El Museo de la Inocencia, El Sapo Hechizado, Eliseo Diego, Evidence, Fidel Castro, Gabo, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, La Historia Me Absolverá, Latinoamérica, libro de presentación, literatura, Orhan Pamuk, Richard Avedon, Spanish

Sueltas feature cartoons by Spanish caricaturist Manuel Tovar

January 11, 2013 - Amy Brown

Actress Trinidad Rosales, by Manuel Tovar.

Everybody loves cartoons. They proliferate in modern newspapers and on the Internet. From Peanuts to Doonesbury, cartoons provide commentary and amusement for the reader. The sueltas collection at the Harry Ransom Center, currently being cataloged under a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources, also features its own first-rate cartoons. Created by Manuel Tovar, a famous twentieth-century caricaturist, these unique “monos,” as caricatures are known in Spanish, present unusual and interesting depictions of actors and actresses.

Born in Granada in 1875, Tovar illustrated postcards and painted fans and parasols as a young man. When he moved to Madrid, he fulfilled his life-long dream of working as a caricaturist and cartoonist, publishing his first cartoon in 1901 in the magazine Nuevo Mundo. Subsequently, he created cartoons in many well-known magazines and newspapers such as Blanco y Negro, La Correspondencia, El Gráfico, El Liberal, El Heraldo de Madrid, and El Cuento Semanal, whose cover he illustrated regularly for three years. For 15 years, Tovar created a popular daily cartoon for La Voz. He passed away suddenly in 1935, just after completing his daily entry.

Known for his sagacious wit and unique style, Tovar is widely considered one of the greatest caricaturists of his age. The sueltas collection contains a number of items from the “Novela Teatral” series, produced under the direction of José de Urquía from 1916 to 1925. This series is typical of the caricature work done by Tovar, which often depicted real figures in Madrid society. The “Novela Teatral” caricatures portrayed actors and actresses, but Tovar was perhaps most famous for his drawings of political figures and writers. In an interview, he once lamented that political cartoons had caused him a great deal of trouble, as many of his subjects found their representations less than flattering. His artistic style did not change in response to the criticism. He had one confrontation regarding a caricature of a government minister, Juan de la Cierva, who was illustrated wearing unattractive plaid pants. Embarrassed by the portrayal, the minister invited Tovar to inspect his wardrobe and note the lack of plaid pants. Another incident had Tovar hiding in the salon at a theater from an umbrella-brandishing disgruntled authoress who wished to punish the artist for his unflattering caricature of her.

Tovar is credited with having a profound and perfect knowledge of contemporary life in Madrid, and these delightful illustrations provide a fascinating look into the atmosphere of Madrid during the early twentieth century. The sueltas collection continues to provide us with opportunities for remarkable and thought-provoking study.

Please click on the thumbnails below to view full-size images.

Actress Trinidad Rosales, by Manuel Tovar.
Actress Trinidad Rosales, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Manuel Muñoz, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Manuel Muñoz, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Luis Manrique, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Luis Manrique, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Manuel Vigo, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Manuel Vigo, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Federico Repáraz, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Federico Repáraz, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Antonio Vico, by Manuel Tovar.
Actor Antonio Vico, by Manuel Tovar.
Actress María López Martinez, by Manuel Tovar.
Actress María López Martinez, by Manuel Tovar.

Filed Under: Cataloging, Research + Teaching, Theatre + Performing Arts Tagged With: caricature, cartoon, Cataloging, Council on Library and Information Resources, José de Urquía, Juan de la Cierva, Manuel Tovar, monos, Novela Teatral, sueltas

Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Archive

Tags

acquisition Alice's Adventures in Wonderland archive archives Art Books Cataloging Conservation Council on Library and Information Resources David Foster Wallace David O. Selznick digitization exhibition Exhibitions Fellows Find Fellowships Film Frank Reaugh Frank Reaugh: Landscapes of Texas and the American West Gabriel Garcia Marquez Gabriel Garcia Marquez archive Gone with the Wind I have seen the Future: Norman Bel Geddes Designs America Lewis Carroll literature Magnum Photos Manuscripts Meet the Staff Nobel Prize Norman Bel Geddes Norman Mailer Performing Arts Photography poetry preservation Publishing Research Robert De Niro Shakespeare theater The King James Bible: Its History and Influence The Making of Gone With The Wind Undergraduate What is Research? World War I

Recent Posts

  • The Knickerbocker Theatre Collapse
  • On the Record: Black Creators and the Jazz Age
  • Ransom Center experience leads to new challenge
  • Films represented in the Drawing the Motion Picture exhibition
  • Celebrate with us in 2023

Before Footer

Sign up for eNews

Our monthly newsletter highlights news, exhibitions, and programs.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About

Ransom Center Magazine is an online and print publication sharing stories and news about the Harry Ransom Center, its collections, and the creative community surrounding it.

Copyright © 2023 Harry Ransom Center

Web Accessibility · Web Privacy