[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 46 Engrossed in House (EH)]
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
February 25, 2003.
Whereas Al (Albert) Hirschfeld was born June 21, 1903, in St. Louis, Missouri;
Whereas Hirschfeld moved to New York City with his family at age 12;
Whereas, by age 18, Hirschfeld was already the art director for Selznick
Pictures;
Whereas Hirschfeld went on to study painting, sculpture, and drawing in Paris;
Whereas on a trip in Bali, Hirschfeld first became ``enchanted with line'' and
developed his signature style of caricature;
Whereas, in 1926, Hirschfeld attended the theater with press agent Richard
Maney, who noticed the sketch Hirschfeld had doodled on his program and
convinced him to submit it to the New York Herald Tribune, which printed
it on its front page;
Whereas Hirschfeld began receiving periodic drawing assignments for the drama
pages of the New York Times;
Whereas Hirschfeld became a close friend of legendary New York Times theater
critic Brooks Atkinson and developed a relationship with the newspaper
that would last nearly 75 years;
Whereas Hirschfeld went on to draw nearly every important figure of the American
theater for the New York Times;
Whereas searching for the name of Hirschfeld's daughter, Nina, sometimes hidden
as many as a dozen times within his drawings, became a favorite pastime
for readers;
Whereas Hirschfeld's work has appeared in numerous books and is hung in many
museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern
Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the St. Louis Art Museum;
Whereas Hirschfeld received 2 special Antoinette Perry (Tony) Awards for
excellence in the theater;
Whereas Hirschfeld was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters;
Whereas Hirschfeld was selected to receive the National Medal of Arts in 2003;
Whereas in 1996 Hirschfeld was named a Living New York City Landmark by the New
York Landmarks Conservancy;
Whereas audiences for years to come will be reminded of Hirschfeld's life and
work through a Broadway theater named after him;
Whereas success on Broadway was measured, in part, by whether one had been
caricatured by Hirschfeld;
Whereas Hirschfeld's drawings helped to communicate to millions of people the
excitement of live theater;
Whereas Hirschfeld continued working until the day he passed away, January 20,
2003, at the age of 99; and
Whereas Hirschfeld's unique contribution to American culture will be sorely
missed: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the life of Al Hirschfeld
and his legacy, and extends its condolences to his family, friends, and loved
ones.
Attest:
Clerk.