Welcome to the World of A. Redfield
While contributing to The New Yorker and other mainstream publications under his own name, Syd was also drawing for the Daily Worker and New Masses as A. Redfield — the pseudonym he adopted for his radical work in the 1930’s. Given his intense passion for social justice, the world stage had become a great source of inspiration for Syd, whether his cartoons appeared in mainstream or left-wing publications. In spite of the ever-changing times, one thing never changed for Syd — his ability to use humor to communicate, with an understanding that on some level everyone needs a moment of lightness in their lives. In midst of adversity for him, that was the glue that kept the ups and downs of life connected.
“It takes not only courage, but also [a] special kind of skill to become a political cartoonist. The courage is needed because there are always some readers who will be offended by the point of view of an editorial cartoon and will demand the job and maybe the hide of the artist. The skill is demanded because it takes a superior craftsman to portray the likeness of the heroes and villains who strut their stuff on the events of the day. A great artist will show the very essence of his subject, [to be] remembered through drawings long after words in the editorial and news columns have been forgotten.” (Hoff, Editorial and Political Cartooning, 1976)
Read more about Syd’s early years as cartoonist A. Redfield, at a time when he was just beginning to ascend the creative ladder to fame and commercial success as cartoonist and author Syd Hoff.
