Albert Pieter Hahn (17 March 1877 – 3 August 1918) was a Dutch political cartoonist, caricaturist, poster artist and book cover designer; well known for his socialist and antimilitaristic viewpoints. Some of his drawings, especially those of the railroad strikes of 1903, have been regularly used in history textbooks. His adopted son, , was also an artist, so he is sometimes referred to as "Sr.".

Biography

He was born to a poor family; what he would later describe as "respectable poverty". His father painted signs and glass and made frames.Brief biography
@ Kunst in de Philips Reclame. Although his mother and sisters were members of the

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

church, his father was

anticlerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historically, anti-clericalism in Christian traditions has been opposed to the influence of Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, ...

. Both of his brothers were members of the labor movement. At the age of nine, he developed

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in his vertebrae and could not finish school. At the age of twelve, when his condition had improved somewhat, he was apprenticed to his father. A few years later, he enrolled at the

Academie Minerva Academie Minerva is a Dutch art academy. The academy was founded in 1798 in Groningen as a school for arts, architecture, construction engineering, and seamanship.Dijk, F. van (1998) ''Leraren van de Academie Minerva. Een keuze uit twee eeuwen ...

. His training there was interrupted by a recurrence of his disease, which forced him to spend two years in a hospital. At seventeen, he returned to the Academie.Brief biography by Philip van Praag
in the ''Biografisch Woordenboek van het Socialisme en de Arbeidersbeweging in Nederland'' @ the

International Institute of Social History International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

In 1896, he saw the works of

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

at an exhibition in Groningen, which had a deep and permanent effect on his style. That same year, thanks to a government grant, he enrolled at the " Teekenschool voor Kunstambachten" in Amsterdam and, after graduating, became a drawing teacher at a technical school. It was then that his growing interest in socialism led him to join the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP). One of his first projects as a member involved a study of the housing situation in Amsterdam. The result was a 100-page booklet called "Krotten en Sloppen" (Shacks and Slums), published in 1901, with his drawings. The following year, '' Het Volk'', a socialist newspaper, held a contest to find an artist for their weekly Sunday supplement. Hahn was selected and signed to a permanent contract. Soon, he began creating political cartoons in addition to illustrations; for '' De Notenkraker'' as well as ''Het Volk'', and was able to quit his teaching job in 1905. After the beginning of World War I, his works dealt almost exclusively with denouncing the needless death and destruction. Although he had occasional serious relapses, in 1911 he married the recently divorced Iemkje Dijkman, adopted her two sons, and had two daughters. In 1918, just before the end of the war, he succumbed to his disease. Over his career, he produced more than 4,000 drawings. A major retrospective of his work was held at the Nederlands Persmuseum in 2000.

Selected posters

File:Sint Lucas 25ste Jaarlijksche Tentoonstelling.jpeg, Exhibition at the

Stedelijk Museum The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (; Municipal Museum Amsterdam), colloquially known as the Stedelijk, is a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

(1916) File:Colonial Exhibition Semarang 1914.jpg, The

Colonial Exhibition of Semarang The Colonial Exhibition, Dutch: ''Koloniale Tentoonstelling'', took place in Semarang, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) on 20 August through 22 November 1914. Colonial exhibitions were trade expositions. It was designed to "give a comprehensive ...

(1914) File:De kroeg gesloten.jpg, "The Pub is Closed", anti-alcoholism campaign (1913) File:Landelijke verkiezingen SDAP 1918.jpg, "Vote Red", for the SDAP (1918) File:Algemeene Verzeekering-Maatschappij Providentia.jpg, Providentia insurance company (1900)

References

External links

"Albert Hahn en de industriële Revolutie"
@ Histoforum

@ the

Lambiek Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the prov ...

Comiclopedia.
"Albert Hahn: Praised and Hated"
by Rob Ruggenberg (with more images) @ The Heritage of the Great War. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hahn, Albert 1877 births 1918 deaths 19th-century Dutch illustrators 20th-century Dutch illustrators Dutch magazine cartoonists Dutch magazine illustrators Dutch poster artists Dutch political artists Dutch war artists Dutch anti-war activists Dutch social democrats Dutch editorial cartoonists Dutch caricaturists 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Artists from Groningen (city) Tuberculosis deaths in the Netherlands

Biography

Selected posters

References

Further reading

External links