Valerie Kretchmer

It was the summer of 1974 and I had just graduated from college. I was consumed with the Watergate hearings, as were many of us that summer. I devoured the local Chicago newspapers and listened to the hearings every day. No internet in those days to read the out-of-town papers online, just the Tribune and Sun-Times.

I became intrigued by the political cartoons that appeared each day and started clipping ones I thought were especially insightful, clever, and piercing. This was the start of my political cartoon collection that continues to this day. I have albums filled with cartoons I considered to be “collection worthy,” meaning they withstand the test of time. They are a different and often irreverent take on history.

Even after 50 years, my all-time favorite is this one that ran the day after Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974. I love the idea of Nixon going down the drain. So simple, but so effective at communicating this historic event. That’s what makes this and the others in my collection so special.