Our Iowa Heritage: Iowa Millennium Art.

The Des Moines Register’s Brian Duffy – Iowa Millennium Poster – January 1, 2000

In 2000, Brian Duffy, political cartoonist with the Des Moines Register from 1983-2008, put together a magnificent artistic overview of Iowa icons, ranging from President Herbert Hoover, George Washington Carver, Meredith Willson, and Grant Wood to John Wayne, Mamie Eisenhower, Johnny Carson, Bob Feller, and Nile Kinnick. 58 subjects – One colorful poster. We have secured two rare copies of this classic poster: one is framed and on display in our office; the second is signed by Duffy (see pics below) and includes a couple of pics of Brian signing the poster in 2016!

Where does time go? It is hard to believe that I have been drawing cartoons here in Iowa for thirty-two years. The first twenty-five was as the last front-page cartoonist in the nation. In 2009, the editor (Des Moines Register) at the time decided, rather arbitrarily, to do away with the paper’s popular tradition that stretched back over a century, to Ding Darling. I did not get mad…I got even. Upon the advice and assistance of some of the best journalists in the state, I went about setting up my own syndicate to provide cartoons on Iowa issues to newspapers all across the state of Iowa. To date the list of those outstanding newspapers stretch river to river. My national cartoons continue to appear in newspapers and on websites nationwide through King Features. Brian Duffy

Click here to read more about the rich Iowa tradition when it comes to Political Cartooning and The Des Moines Register.

Click here to read about Ding’s long-time friendship with another famous Iowan, Herbert Hoover.

**Here’s Brian Duffy’s legend to all 58 icons (click to enlarge). How many do you recognize?**

CLICK HERE to see The Iowa Award winners (eight of which appear on Brian Duffy’s poster).

A handful of the people/icons featured on Brian Duffy’s Millennium Poster have also been honored with a U.S. commemorative postage stamp. Click on the pic (below) for how their icon fits into Our Iowa Heritage story…