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Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
You Don't Change Horses in Midstream
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

You Don't Change Horses in Midstream

Artifact ID1973.1.1340
Object Type Cartoon Drawing
Artist (United States, 1909 - 1992)
Publisher (founded 1829)
Gifter
Date ca. May 1967
Medium Ink and applied shading on illustration board
DimensionsOverall H 11 1/2 in x W 13 1/2 in (29.2 cm x 34.3 cm )
Physical Description
Physical DescriptionOriginal cartoon drawing. LBJ and a man (identifiable as Everett Dirksen, "Dirksen support") ride a donkey through deep water ("Vietnam"). Dirksen speaks to LBJ. An elephant (“ '68”) stands in shallow water in the background. Caption: “You Don't Change Horses in Midstream”. Artist signature lower right: "John Fawcett”.
Inscriptions and MarkingsHandwritten at lower right: "To President Johnson with sincere wishes". Handwritten at lower right: “Providence Evening Bulletin” “May 18, 1967” “6”.
Historical NotePresident Johnson was up for his second term during the 1968 election, but he would later withdraw from the race on March 31, 1968. By 1968, the Vietnam War had escalated to hundreds of thousands of troops deployed and the war’s unpopularity in the United States was increased further by the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive in January 1968. Everett Dirksen was a Republican senator from Illinois who was the Senate Minority Leader during Lyndon Johnson’s presidency. He favored American involvement in Vietnam.
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)
Person Referenced Everett Dirksen (United States, 1896 - 1969)
In Collection(s)
Not on view
Place of Publication
Providence
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