Caricature of Harold L. Ickes
Object numberMO 1944.26.6.5
Name
Drawing
Artist
Al Hirschfeld
(American caricaturist, 1903-2003)
Dateca. 1943
Mediumpaper (illustration board), ink
Dimensionsoverall H 5 5/8 in x W 9 in (14.3 cm x 22.9 cm )
DescriptionAn original pen and ink caricature of Harold L. Ickes in the form of a dog. Ickes's face - sporting a pair of eyeglasses - is placed on the body of a bulldog. The drawing is unsigned by the artist.
Ickes's name is handwritten twice on the reverse of the caricature for identification purposes, once in pencil (possibly by Al Hirschfeld) and once in ink.
Label TextThis caricature of Harold L. Ickes is one of eight pen and ink caricatures (MO 1944.26.6.1-8) that Al Hirschfeld drew of some of Franklin D. Roosevelt's distinguished friends and prominent visitors to the White House. The caricatures were the basis of comedy slide effects used at the National Press Club preview of this subject. The caricatures were sent to FDR in June 1943 by Carter T. Barron, the Washington, DC representative of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures.Ickes's name is handwritten twice on the reverse of the caricature for identification purposes, once in pencil (possibly by Al Hirschfeld) and once in ink.
Harold Ickes (1874-1952) was the longest serving Secretary of the Interior and one of only two cabinet members to remain in office for the entire Roosevelt administration. A progressive Republican, Ickes was new to government service but proved to be a reliable and gifted administrator under FDR. Ickes, however, was not always well liked by his contemporaries. A polarizing figure, he was known to be irascible, sensitive, often fluctuating between crusader and melancholy.
Always a passionate supporter of civil rights and civil liberties, Ickes advocated for racial integration and for legislative reform concerning American Indians, and he opposed Japanese internment. Also a life-long advocate for conservation, he fought to protect the nation’s forests. His careful management of unprecedented public works funding helped sustain the New Deal up to the outbreak of war, when his role became increasingly focused on defense resource management.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDeposited at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 3, 1943. It was donated as a bequest of FDR to the Library in 1947.
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPortraits (National Archives Identifier 778816)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - FullyCopyright© The Al Hirschfeld Foundation.
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