Oral history interview with Art Bimrose

Oral history interview with Art Bimrose [Sound Recording 01] Oral history interview with Art Bimrose [Sound Recording 02] Oral history interview with Art Bimrose [Sound Recording 03] Oral history interview with Art Bimrose [Sound Recording 03] Oral history interview with Art Bimrose [Transcript]

Identity elements

Reference code

SR 1752

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Oral history interview with Art Bimrose

Date(s)

  • 1989-04-26 - 1989-04-26 (Creation)

Extent

.1 cubic feet; 2 audiocassettes (1 hr., 38 min., 58 sec.) + transcript (39 pages)

Name of creator

(1912-1998)

Biographical history

Arthur Sylvanus Bimrose was born in Spokane, Washington, in 1912. Early in his childhood, his family relocated to Portland, Oregon. He was interested in art from an early age and after graduating high school he spent a year studying at the San Francisco Art Institute. During the Depression, he used his artistic skills to make a living doing sign painting and showcard work for retail businesses, including Fred Meyer, Inc. In 1937, he began working for the Oregonian newspaper as a photo-retoucher and occasional cartoonist. In 1937, he and Olga Ann Frances Radilovich were married; they later had one child. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theater. After his discharge, he returned to the Oregonian newspaper. In 1947, he became the paper's political cartoonist. He retired in 1983. He died in 1998.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

This oral history interview with Art Bimrose was conducted by Jim Strassmaier on April 26, 1989. The interview was conducted in conjunction with a 1989 exhibition of Bimrose's work at the Oregon Historical Society. The interview was conducted in one session.

In this interview, Bimrose discusses his family background and early life in Spokane, Washington, and in Portland, Oregon, including his early interest in art. He discusses his early career in art, particularly commercial art, during the Depression. He also talks about his summer jobs with the Southern Pacific Railroad during his high school years, the effect the Depression had on his family, and his early political beliefs. He discusses working for the Oregonian newspaper, first as a photo re-toucher and later as a cartoonist. He talks about developing his art style, his process in creating political cartoons, and the editorial policies of the Oregonian. He also briefly talks about his experience in the U.S. Army during World War II, particularly the effect it had on his personality and home life. He also talks about the difficulty in drawing cartoons for the Oregonian that were supportive of the Vietnam War, despite his personal opposition to it. He describes his use of symbolism in his cartoons; talks about politicians he admired; and discusses the Oregonian editorial conferences that he attended. He also talks about some of the controversial topics on which he drew cartoons and working with the Oregonian editorial page editors. He closes the interview by discussing his retirement activities.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

Language and script notes

Finding aids

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

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Existence and location of copies

Related archival materials

Art Bimrose collection, Mss 5354; Selected Art Bimrose political cartoons, Coll 787; Art Bimrose political cartoons, Coll 618; Oral history interview with Art S. Bimrose, by Roberta Watts, SR 9320, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Related descriptions

Notes element

General note

Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Art Bimrose, by Jim Strassmaier, SR 1752, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Specialized notes

Alternative identifier(s)

Description control element

Rules or conventions

Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition.

Sources used

Archivist's note

Sarah Stroman

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