Skip to main content
Collections Menu
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Over My Dead Body
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Over My Dead Body

Artifact ID1973.1.713
Object Type Cartoon Drawing
Artist
Publisher ()
Gifter
Date ca. June 1968
Medium Ink and applied shading on illustration board
DimensionsOverall H 20 in x W 15 in (50.8 cm x 38.1 cm )
Physical Description
Physical DescriptionOriginal cartoon drawing. Two mirror-image men ("Pro”, “Con") each reach for guns while a man cowers under the table. A note ("Congress: Register every gun -- License every bearer. --LBJ) lays on the table. Caption: “Over My Dead Body”. Artist signature lower right: "Ralph Vinson”.
Inscriptions and MarkingsHandwritten at lower left: [red] “States Editorial”. Handwritten at lower center: [red] “5 ¾””. Handwritten at lower center: “442”. Handwritten at lower right: [red] “Wed June 26, 1968”.
Historical NoteThe Gun Control Act of 1968 was a response to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Johnson signed the law on October 11, banning the interstate sale of firearms, prohibited certain people such as minors and felons from owning guns, and it restricted the importation of guns. John Q Public is a character often included in political cartoons to depict the average citizen, often portrayed with glasses, a mustache, and a fedora.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from the general public to President Johnson during his term in office. It was received by President Johnson, until the President donated it to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in 1973.
Credit LineGift of Lyndon Baines Johnson
National Archives Catalog CollectionLyndon B. Johnson Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 192413)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from the General Public (National Archives Identifier 189698395)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Fully
Use Restriction NoteCopyright or other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. The LBJ Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of 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.
Person Referenced Lyndon Baines Johnson (United States, 1908 - 1973)
In Collection(s)
Not on view
Place of Publication
New Orleans
Related Links