Editorial Cartoonists of the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) :: Lou Erickson ("Eric") – The South’s Gentle Satirist

“Check Out That Barrel” – Lou Erickson Original Editorial Cartoon (Published Dec. 29, 1976, The Atlanta Journal)

Artist: Lou Erickson (Penciller)

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“Check Out That Barrel” – Lou Erickson Original Editorial Cartoon (Published Dec. 29, 1976, The Atlanta Journal) Comic Art

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CHECK OUT THAT BARREL (OVERLAY)

The Atlanta Journal (Atlanta, Georgia) · Wed, Dec 29, 1976 · Page 22

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Artwork Details

Title:	“Check Out That Barrel” – Lou Erickson Original Editorial Cartoon (Published Dec. 29, 1976, The Atlanta Journal)
Artist:	Lou Erickson (Penciller)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Sketch Card
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	18
Likes on CAF:	0 1
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	8/24/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Artist: Lou Erickson (1913–1990)
Publication: The Atlanta Journal — Wednesday, December 29, 1976, Page 22
Medium: Ink on board with red-tone production overlay
Dimensions: [Insert measurements if known]
Original Art: Yes — published original with production overlay and matching newspaper clipping

Description

This original editorial cartoon by Atlanta Constitution/Journal cartoonist Lou Erickson depicts three government figures gathered around a barrel labeled: “Personal Liberty of the Individual.” One figure beats on the barrel as though testing its contents, while the caption beneath reads:

“Now that we’ve got everything else, maybe we ought to check out that barrel—”

The work includes Erickson’s production overlay, used by the newspaper’s art department to emphasize tones in the printed edition.

Context & Meaning

Published in late December 1976, just weeks before Jimmy Carter’s inauguration, the cartoon reflects national anxieties in the post-Watergate era about government intrusion into individual freedoms. Erickson suggests that political power-brokers, having already expanded their reach in many areas, were now eyeing the last and most essential right — the personal liberty of the individual.

The satire captures the public’s unease that government might continue to erode freedoms under the guise of control, policy, or reform. By using the barrel as a simple, symbolic container of liberty, Erickson highlights how easily even core rights can be treated as just another political resource to be “checked out.”

Significance

This cartoon stands out as one of Erickson’s most biting critiques of late-1970s politics, transcending local Atlanta issues to address the enduring tension between government authority and personal freedom. Its survival with overlay and publication record makes it both a rare production artifact and a poignant visual reminder of the civic debates of 1976.

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	Alan E Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	May 2025
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

Posted on 8/25/2025

Person liberties had it rough 48 years ago. Good thing we can relax now.

Alan E
Member Since 2025

1 - Posted on 8/25/2025

Marcus Wai wrote:

Person liberties had it rough 48 years ago. Good thing we can relax now.

From barrel to thong in under 50 years… the wardrobe keeps shrinking.

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