Typewriters of the moment: Mitford and Carson, two environmental journalists


The great editorial cartoonist Bill Mauldin of the Chicago Sun-Times illustrates the gender dimension of the controversy over Carson and Silent Spring. In this 27 October 1963 cartoon he pairs her with Jessica Mitford, author of The American Way of Death, a scathing indictment of the funeral home industry. Men from both industries have been flattened under the platens of the women’s typewriters. All rights reserved © 1963 by Bill Mauldin. Courtesy of Bill Mauldin Estate LLC

The great editorial cartoonist Bill Mauldin of the Chicago Sun-Times illustrates the gender dimension of the controversy over Carson and Silent Spring. In this 27 October 1963 cartoon he pairs her with Jessica Mitford, author of The American Way of Death, a scathing indictment of the funeral home industry. Men from both industries have been flattened under the platens of the women’s typewriters. All rights reserved © 1963 by Bill Mauldin. Courtesy of Bill Mauldin Estate LLC

Captured from Mark Stoll’s “Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, a book that changed the world,” at the Environment and Society Portal.

A well-fitting image in the few days before the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) opens its 2013 convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee (October 2-4).  It was the power of the typewriter in 1963; the power of the word processor in 2013, more likely.  In either case, it’s the hard work of environmental journalists, who are out to make the world a better place by showing us what it is, what shape it’s in, and how we might conserve it.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 24th, 2013 at 2:00 am and is filed under DDT, History, Journalism, Political cartoons, Rachel Carson, Science, Technology, Typewriters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to Typewriters of the moment: Mitford and Carson, two environmental journalists

  1. For Typewriter Day, June 23, the typewriter archives at Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub | Millard Fillmore's Bathtub says:
    June 23, 2016 at 4:17 pm

    […] Bill Mauldin cartoon featuring typewriters of Jessica Mitford and Rachel Carson […]

    Like

  2. Perfect autumn walk, Rachel Carson NWR | Millard Fillmore's Bathtub says:
    September 24, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    […] Typewriters of the moment: Mitford and Carson, two environmental journalists (timpanogos.wordpress.com) […]

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