Members only. Registration required.

Art has always played an important role for people living in prisons. It allows for self-expression and can even be a form of activism. In the 1920s, Frederick Funk drew a series of elaborate cartoons, illustrating his experience while incarcerated at Eastern State, and sent them to prison reformer Anna Wharton Morris.

Join Friends Historical Library archivist Celia Caust-Ellenbogen for a closer look at these cartoons, now stored in the library’s archives at Swarthmore College. Learn about the life and work of Anna Wharton Morris. Explore the cartoons’ relationship to 1920s criminal justice and incarceration. Then, join in analyzing and interpreting the cartoons with fellow members.

Celia Caust-Ellenbogen is an archivist at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College and wrote about Anna Wharton Morris for the October 2019 Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. She is a long-time volunteer for Books Through Bars, a nonprofit that sends books to incarcerated people.

Please note: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this event may be held online. If we do gather on site, an online option will still be made available. Register now and keep an eye on your email for updates. A Zoom invitation will be emailed 24 hours in advance.

This event is free for all members. Reserve free tickets online or call 215-236-5111 x224. Space is limited. 

Join us at 11:00 am on the third Saturday of every month for this special members-only program. Not a Member? Join today! Questions? Email us at [email protected]