A Critical Place for a Difference of Opinion

Berryman was born in Kentucky in 1869 and began his career in Washington at age 17 as a draftsman for the U.S. Patent Office. In 1891 he became a cartoonist's understudy at the Washington Post , and within five years he had risen to become the paper's chief political cartoonist. For more than 50 years, from 1896 to 1949, Berryman's cartoons appeared almost daily on the front page of the Washington Post and then the Washington Evening Star. Washington political circles embraced Berryman's cartooning. Berryman rarely drew mean-spirited cartoons and was balanced in his commentary of partisan politics. He was a talented portraitist and his cartoons are renowned for their accurate portrayal of well-known gurus. Berryman often gave away his original cartoons and examples of his artwork can be found in collections across the country.