Little Lulu Exhibit

The sons of LITTLE LULU Creator Marjorie Henderson Buell donated her papers to Harvard last year. LULU paper ephemera will be on display at the Schlesinger Library thru March 29, 2008. More information, including the hours of the exhibit, is here. And, if you go there today, there's a reception this afternoon, between 4 and 6pm.

Here's a detailed list of what the Library has from the press release:

• Cartoons and comic strips including eighteen of Buell’s earliest cartoons, among them the very first cartoon she drew before age seven; original “Little Lulu” and “The Boy Friend” sketches; and the entire collection of “Little Lulu” comic strips published from 1935 to 1969, appearing first in the Saturday Evening Post and then in national newspapers.

• Personal correspondence with publishers, agents, fans and colleagues. Also included are fan magazines and Buell’s personal notebooks.

• Official business documents including original contracts with Rand McNally, Milton Bradley and Paramount Pictures. Also included are royalty statements, licensing agreements and copyrights.

• Lulu merchandise and memorabilia including toys, sheet music, children’s books, comic books published in multiple languages and Kleenex advertisements.

What's missing is the name of John Stanley, who, along with Irving Tripp, wrote and drew the bulk of the LULU comic book stories. I don't mean to diminish Ms. Buell's work, but it was Stanley who created the whole world of Lulu. I hope that there's an acknowledgment to his work in the exhibit.

Dark Horse Comics is reprinting the LITTLE LULU comic book series. Their 17th volume is below, with #18 (previewed at their site, click "Next Page >>" at the top right of the cover) coming out next month.