A rare, wonderful editorial page tribute to John F. Kennedy the day following his assassination on November 22, 1963. 

This was done by Herbert Lawrence Block, and appeared in the Saturday, November 23, 1963 issue of THE WASHINGTON POST. 

A crowd has gathered at the base of a United States flag, at half-staff in honor of President Kennedy. Everyone has heads bowed and some hold there head in their hands. 

What a poignant drawing showing just how our nation felt after this tragedy. 

The heading says:

"With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love..."

The illustration ( I can't call it a cartoon...) was carefully removed and saved from that original newspaper. It's been safely stored away in an acid-free plastic sleeve for many years. 

The drawing measures 5 1/8" wide x 6 5/8" high. It's in overall very good condition, but the paper has darkened and yellowed with age. 

I'll place the illustration inside a plastic sleeve and add a piece of white foam board for protection while mailing by USPS First Class in a bubble envelope. 

I'll mail the same day, or next day after payment is received. 

Some info on this very talented and award-winning cartoonist and author follows:

(1909 - 2001)

Herbert Lawrence Block, commonly known as Herblock was an American editorial cartoonist and author best known for his commentaries on national domestic and foreign policy. During the course of a career stretching into nine decades, he won three Pulitzer Prizes for editorial cartooning (1942, 1954, 1979), shared a fourth Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for Public Service on Watergate, the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1994), the National Cartoonist Society Editorial Cartoon Award in 1957 and 1960, the Reuben Award in 1956, the Gold Key Award (the National Cartoonists Society Hall of Fame) in 1979, and numerous other honors.

He began taking classes at the Art Institute of Chicago when he was eleven, and adopted the "Herblock" signature in high school. After graduating in 1927, he attended Lake Forest College for almost two years. Late in his second year there he was hired‍—‌after submitting some cartoons he had done in high school and college for the Evanston News-Index‍—‌to replace the Chicago Daily News' departing editorial cartoonist. He never returned to school.

Block moved to Cleveland in 1933 to become the staff cartoonist for Newspaper Enterprise Association, which distributed his cartoons nationally. He won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1942, then spent two years in the Army doing cartoons and press releases. Upon discharge Block became chief editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post, where he worked until his death 55 years later.

Block's cartoons were syndicated to newspapers around the world by Creators Syndicate from 1987 until his death in 2001.