Al Hirschfeld

American caricaturist: 1903-2003

Al Hirschfeld

Born: June 21,
1903
− St. Louis
− Moved to NY to
study art in 1914
− 1920 made art
director for Selznick
Pictures

“The Line King”

Best known for
scenes of
Broadway shows,
 Al Hirschfeld

1924 – Moved to
Europe (Paris &
London) to study
painting drawing
and sculpture

Created
illustrations for
print alongside
New York Times
play reviews
 Al Hirschfeld

Career spanned over 80 years

Did some colorized artwork, although
predominantly simple black & white lined
drawings

Example - “Hirschfeld's Harlem”
Examples of Hirschfeld's work
Examples (continued):
Examples (continued):
 Nina
Hirschfeld's daughter, Nina, was born in 1945. To commemorate her birth,
Hirschfeld hid her name in a number of his drawings. This tradition of
embedding “Nina” in his artwork continued until his death, despite a
number of attempts Hirschfeld made to end the tradition.
 The USPS, US Army & Nina

Hirschfeld was the first
artist for which the USPS
waived their longstanding
rules against hidden
messages in stamps,
allowing his inclusion of
Nina on two series they
commissioned him to
illustrate, stating, “...they
would not be true
Hirschfelds without them.”

Hirschfeld, in The Comics
Journal, confirmed an urban
legend that the US Army
used Hirschfeld's pictures
as a training tool for US
bomber pilots, requiring
them to find the Nina's in
 In addition to the NYT, Hirschfeld's drawings have
appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and
periodicals.
Al Hirschfeld

Died January 20, 2003

Continued his drawing
with no appreciable
decline in skill up to the
time of his death.

June 21, 2003, on what
would have been
Hirschfeld's 100th
birthday, The Martin
Beck Theatre at 302 W.
45th St. was renamed
The Al Hirschfeld
Theatre in his honor.
The End