[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 25, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H1278-H1280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE LIFE OF AL HIRSCHFELD AND HIS LEGACY

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 46) honoring the life of Al Hirschfeld and 
his legacy.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H. Res. 46

       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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from

[[Page H1279]]

Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. 
Cooper) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, House Resolution 46, introduced by my distinguished 
colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), honors the life of 
legendary illustrator Al Hirschfeld.
  Madam Speaker, Al Hirschfeld passed away at his home in New York City 
on January 20 at the age of 99. During his remarkable career that 
spanned three-quarters of a century, Al Hirschfeld drew caricatures of 
giants of the performing arts world that appeared primarily in the New 
York Times, but also in a variety of books and periodicals. An A-list 
of museums and galleries feature his works, including the Metropolitan 
Museum of Art in New York and the St. Louis Art Museum, which is in his 
hometown.
  His drawings, easily recognized by their distinctive flowing lines 
and the hidden word ``Nina,'' the name of his daughter that appeared in 
each of his works, turned generations of his own fans into connoisseurs 
of all art and theater. Indeed, in June of 1990, I had the opportunity 
to meet some of his family members to observe and admire his work 
firsthand and even to go on a search for some of those Ninas that were 
hidden in his caricatures when his exhibit was at the Tennessee 
Botanical Gardens and Fine Arts Center in Nashville.
  By passing this resolution, this House can express the sadness of the 
City of New York, and indeed all of America, from Al Hirschfeld's 
passing last month. Therefore, I urge all Members to support the 
adoption of House Resolution 46.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COOPER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, today we honor the life and legacy of Al Hirschfeld, 
the pen and ink illustrator who chronicled some 75 years of American 
theater and entertainment history who died on January 20 in Manhattan 
at the age of 99.
  Hirschfeld, who was born June 21, 1903 in St. Louis, earned a special 
Tony award for his drawing of theater people. As my colleague, the 
gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), has mentioned, he often 
featured the word Nina for his daughter in thousands and thousands of 
his drawings. In fact, it is kind of fun to find the Ninas in a 
particular drawing and Hirschfeld made more than 10,000 caricatures in 
his career.
  At the tender age of 11, Hirschfeld's art teacher in St. Louis told 
his mother, ``There is nothing more that we can teach him here in St. 
Louis.''
  The family promptly moved to New York where he enrolled in the Art 
Students' League. At age 17, Hirschfeld became an art director at 
Selznick Pictures. He held that position for about 4 years; and then in 
1924 he moved to Paris to work, led a Bohemian life, grew a beard, 
which he retained until his death.
  Although Hirschfeld is best known for his illustrations on the New 
York Times's theater pages, he also turned out posters for Broadway 
shows and drew for ``TV Guide,'' ``The Washingtonian,'' ``Play Bill,'' 
``Rolling Stone'' and many, many other publications.
  In 1991, Al Hirschfeld became the first artist in history to have his 
name on a U.S. postage stamp booklet when the United States Postal 
Service released five stamps they commissioned Hirschfeld to design. 
The stamps portray Laurel and Hardy, Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen and 
Charlie McCarthy, Abbot and Costello, and Fanny Brice.
  The Hirschfeld postage stamps were so successful that in 1994 the 
U.S. Postal Service again commissioned Hirschfeld to portray 
Hollywood's celebrated stars of the silent screen era. This series of 
commemorative Hirschfeld stamps honors Rudolf Valentino, Charlie 
Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and the Keystone Cops.
  In a 1999 interview with Reuters, Hirschfeld is quoted as saying, 
``After 70 years of drawing you have to improve, otherwise you are a 
dolt. It is a question of elimination and understanding, of trial and 
error, and suddenly something happens, an epiphany.''
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 46, honoring 
the life and legacy of Al Hirschfeld.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).
  Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, and 
I would like to thank the leadership of both sides for bringing it to 
the floor today.
  As a sponsor of the resolution and as the Member of Congress 
representing the Broadway community, I appreciate the bipartisan 
support this resolution has received.
  Madam Speaker, this resolution is in honor of a beloved member of the 
American theater community who passed away in his sleep this past 
January 20.
  Throughout his long and extraordinary career, Al Hirschfeld's 
drawings conveyed to millions of people the excitement and glamour of 
live theater. Al Hirschfeld was born on June 21, 1903, in St. Louis, 
Missouri, and moved to New York City with his family at the age of 12. 
He discovered his artistic talents early on; and by age 18, he had 
already been hired as art director for Selznick Pictures, drawing the 
posters for such important movies as the Marx Brothers' ``A Night at 
the Opera.''
  It was a night at the theater, however, that was the turning point in 
his life. In 1926 Hirschfeld attended a Broadway show with press agent 
Richard Maney, who was impressed by the sketch Hirschfeld had doodled 
on his program. Maney convinced him to submit the sketch to the New 
York Herald Tribune, which printed it on its front page. Periodic 
drawing assignments from the Herald Tribune lead to an invitation from 
the New York Times to contribute a drawing for its drama pages. Thus 
began one of the most fruitful partnerships in history as Al 
Hirschfeld's drawings became a critical element of the New York Times's 
drama coverage for the next 75 years.
  Hirschfeld drew nearly every important figure in the American theater 
and popular culture from Charlie Chaplin to Jerry Seinfeld. His 
drawings were caricatures. They captured the essence of a performer in 
just a few lines. They were never mean-spirited and never meant to hurt 
a subject. In fact, it was a mark of respect and an honor to be 
captured in a Hirschfeld. Many a performer reticent to give an 
interview to the New York Times could be convinced when a Hirschfeld 
drawing was promised if he would give the interview.
  No tribute to Al Hirschfeld could be complete without mention of his 
daughter, Nina, whose name has appeared in nearly every Hirshfeld 
drawing since her birth in 1945. It became a popular activity for 
regular readers of the Times to locate the one or many Ninas hidden 
throughout in his drawings.
  In this Hirschfeld, for example, you will observe that the Nina is 
throughout the tie and that next to his signature the number 23 is put 
in, which is the number of times Nina's name is in the caricature.
  Throughout his life, Hirschfeld gained wide recognition for his work 
which appeared in numerous books and museums, including the 
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney 
Museum, and the St. Louis Art Museum. He also earned countless honors 
such as receiving two special Tony awards for excellence in the theater 
and for being named a living New York City landmark.
  Shortly before his passing he learned that he had been elected to the 
American Academy of Arts and Letters and was to have been presented 
with the National Medal of Arts by President Bush at the White House 
later this year. And as an ultimate tribute from the theater community 
to which he contributed so much, on June 21st of

[[Page H1280]]

this year, which would have been his 100th birthday, he will have a 
theater named after him.
  But while all of this recognition is well deserved, Al Hirschfeld was 
most at home at his drawing board, sitting on the barber's chair he 
liked to use. He was still working until the day he died, drawing a 
picture of his good friends, the Marx Brothers.
  We will never forget Al Hirschfeld. His work will endure for many, 
many generations. But there is a big hole in the Sunday Times these 
days with no Hirschfeld drawings to liven up the drama pages and no 
Ninas to search for.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this resolution. I 
hope we pass it unanimously.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Nadler). I simply urge adoption of this measure.
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the much-
beloved New York artist, Al Hirschfeld, who brought the vibrant world 
of Broadway alive for 75 years--longer than most of us live.
  This singular talent drew the actors, composers, choreographers, 
directors who made it all work--the talented people who are responsible 
for what we collectively call ``the theater,'' but what we also 
recognize is one of the unique contributions of American culture. For a 
mild-mannered and gentle soul, he was a veritable force of nature.
  Hirschfeld's curvy, single line drawings that appeared to be so 
spare, so simple, held within them all the awe with which he--and we 
the audience--felt for this original and talented artistic community--
and he did it over the generations. His work, his memory, and the 
theatre he loved will live on, and we will appreciate it more because 
of a prolific ability to share his vision of it with us.
  I urge all my colleagues to support the resolution that remembers and 
commemorates Al Hirschfeld--a giant in the business of making magic 
happen before your very eyes, on the New York stage.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COOPER. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 46.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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