Albert Hahn was a prominent political illustrator in the Netherlands. With his pen and drawing pen, he fought against the exploitation of workers by capitalists, the church as “guardians of the ignorant population”, and social injustice from a socialist perspective. Albert Hahn was born on March 17, 1877 in Groningen.
Albert Hahn was the son of Gerardus Hahn, who worked as a glass painter, frame maker, and designer of signage. His mother was Johanna Rentjes. The family was not well off and Hahn’s early years were marked by, as he himself said in an interview, “respectable poverty”. In addition, Hahn had been struggling with tuberculosis in his spine since he was nine years old. This meant that he was frequently hospitalized between 1890 and 1892 and was unable to complete his elementary education. However, in the hospital, he was able to practice his drawing skills and made portraits of doctors, professors, and nurses.
During this time, Hahn had enrolled at the Minerva Academy in Groningen, where he later took drawing lessons. His work was highly appreciated and in 1895 and 1896, he received several awards for hand and nude drawing as well as decorative work. In 1896, he successfully completed his education. He then continued his studies in Amsterdam. In 1901, he finished his studies with a “Secondary Education Certificate” and became a drawing teacher at an Amsterdam trade school.
His career as a political cartoonist began in July 1901, when he contributed to a research report on the living conditions in workers’ neighborhoods. His drawings were a near-photographic depiction of the destitute lives people led in damp basements and rooms. Through this assignment, he became friends with Eduard Polak, editor of the socialist magazine Het Volk. When this magazine announced a competition in 1902 for a drawing in the Sunday supplement, Hahn created his first political cartoon, which won the contest. Hahn became a regular contributor and his cartoons became a journalistic weapon for the Social Democratic Labour Party SDAP.
The power of his drawings lay in their clarity and universal understanding. When Zondagsblad became De Notenkraker in 1907, Hahn drew the covers for this magazine on a weekly basis. He continued to do so until his death on August 3, 1918.
www.ftn-books.com has several Hahn publications available.
