Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, CA.
Bloom County
Artifact ID1988.90644.01
Object Type
Cartoon
Maker
Berkeley Breathed
(American cartoonist, born 1957, Bloom County)
Gifter
Berkeley Breathed
Date
1983
Medium
Paper, Ink, Glass, Wood
Dimensions13 × 18 in. (33 × 45.7 cm)
Physical DescriptionAn eight panel cartoon of Bloom County by Berke Breathed, signed, in a brown wooden frame.
Panel 1: Title panel, with the title and author and a tree with a yellow sign, lettered “NO HEE HAW” nailed to the tree. Opus, the penguin, is wearing a scarf and leaning into the wind while Milo is sitting in the tree.
Panel 2: Opus is sitting at a desk with a sign lettered “PLEASE BE TASTEFUL” on the wall. Opus: “NEXT!”
Panel 3: Opus is sitting at the desk, now revealed to be lettered “Classified Personals Dept” on the side. There is an elderly woman in a green dress seated in the chair across from him. Behind her is a framed photo of Nancy Reagan hanging on the wall. Blanche: “I’D LIKE TO PLACE AN AD. I…I’M LOOKING TO BUT SOMETHING… IN PARTICULAR.” Opus: “FINE. THAT’S GO UNDER ‘PERSONAL WANT AD.’ WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO BUY?”
Panel 4: Blanche: “A HUSBAND. I’D LIKE TO BUY A NEW HUSBAND…ONE THAT WON’T CONTINUALLY CALL ME ‘OL’ DUMPY.’” Opus is writing. Opus: “NO ‘DUMPY’…”
Panel 5: Blanche is at the table. “I WANT TO BUY A HUSBAND WHO, EVERY WEEK WHEN I SIT DOWN TO WATCH ‘ST. ELSEWHERE,’ WON’T SCREAM, ‘FORGET IT, BLANCHE… IT’S TIME FOR ‘HEE HAW!!;”
Panel 6: Blanche and Opus face each other across the desk. Blanche: “… A HUSBAND WHO WON’T THINK THAT BOWLING A ‘260’ AFTER DRINKING FIVE DOZEN BUDWEISERS IS ‘THE EMOTIONAL AND CULTURAL HIGHTLIGHT’ OF HIS LIFE…”
Panel 7: Blanche: “… A HUSBAND WHO WON’T COME UP TO ME ON EVERY BIRTHDAY AND YELL ‘GOOD GOD… CAN YOU BELIEVE JOAN COLLINS IS OLDER THAN YOU??’… YES! THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO BUY!!’
Panel 8: Blanche: “… BUT THEN, DARN IT, I SUPPOSE THERE’S SOMETHING I NEED TO SELL FIRST.” Opus: “UNDER ‘BARGAINS’ PRESUMABLY.” There is an image of Opus in the lower left portion of the white space around the panels. “FOR THE FIRST WIFE, WHOM WE SUSPECT, HAS THE LOVING HUSBAND THAT BLANCHE, HERE, IS LOOKING FOR. – BEST WISHES, [signature’ BERKE BREATHED” is in black ink. The verso is covered in brown paper with a wire hanger.Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from a member of the general public to President Ronald Reagan during the Reagan administration. It was received through the Executive Office of the President Office of Correspondence and on display in the White House Billiard Room until its transfer to the National Archives in January, 1989 for deposit with the Reagan Presidential Library.
National Archives Catalog CollectionRecords of the White House Gift Unit (Reagan Administration) (National Archives Identifier 6816362) and
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from the General Public (National Archives Identifier 6816363)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Fully
Use Restriction Note© Berkeley Breathed
Copyright or other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of these materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
Copyright or other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of these materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
Exhibition HistoryWhite House-Billiard Room (Reagan Administration)