William Siegel

William Siegel was a 20th-Century American Communist-oriented painter and illustrator associated with New Masses magazine.[2][3]

Not to be confused with the Yiddish-language playwright, also named William Siegel (died 1966).[1]
William Siegel
Born1905
Riga, Latvia
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArtist (painter), illustrator
Known forIllustrations in New Masses

Background

William Siegel was born in 1905[3][4] in a village near Riga, Latvia (then, Russian Empire[3]). In 1923, he arrive in the United States.[3] He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City.[2][3]

Career

In 1926, Siegel had a woodcut illustration published in Der Hammer (to which Moyshe Nadir contributed): "in an intentionally crude style, Siegel portrayed many workers shouting slogans at what was clearly a protest rally."[5]

As early as 1926, Siegel published work in the New Masses magazine as a "contributing editor".[3] He also contributed to books and pamphlets of International Publishers, the printing arm of the Communist Party USA headed by Alexander Trachtenberg.[2][6]

In the early 1930s, Siegel began his career as a book illustrator. During the Great Depression, he illustrated children's stories for the Works Projects Administration through the New York Board of Education.[2]

By 1931, Siegel was a member of the John Reed Clubs and showed his work with fellow members Jacob Burck, Hugo Gellert, William Gropper, and Louis Lozowick among others. For the club, he served in 1934 as secretary of a Birobidzhan art committee.[7] He also exhibited at the John Reed Club's ACA Galleries in New York City.[2]

In 1934, the New School of Social Research in New York City exhibited some drawings and possibly watercolors by Siegel as well as Anton Refregier.[8]

In 1936, he joined others in calling for an American Artists' Congress.[2][9]

Works

New Masses covers:

  • "Wharf Nigger" (November 1929)[10]
  • "Negro Workers" (July 1930)[11]

New Masses illustrations:

  • "Going Up" (October 1926)[12]
  • "Nine Years" (November 1926)[13]
  • "Wanhsien Massacre" (November 1926)[14]
  • "He Wants More Than Pie in the Sky" (December 1926)
  • "Another Triumph of Free Speech" (January 1927)
  • "China Awakens" (January 1927)[15]
  • "Crusaders Ordered South" (February 1927)[16]
  • "The White Peril" (March 1927)[17]
  • "Decoration" (March 1927)[18]
  • "Faster, Headsman, Faster!" (April 1927)[19]
  • "The Miners – Who Will Lead Them?" (June 1927)[20]
  • "Fifth Avenue Bus" (October 1927)[21]
  • "We–US & Co." (February 1928)[22]
  • "Decorations" (February 1928)[23]
  • "Subway Track Walkers" (July 1928)[24]
  • "The Linesman" (July 1928)[25]
  • "It Will Fall" (July 1928)[26]
  • "(Unnamed, shows miners)" (September 1928)[27]
  • "Strike!" (October 1928)[28]
  • "(Unnamed, shows miners)" (November 1928)[29]
  • "(Unnamed, with "Decaying Beauty")" (January 1929)[30]
  • "Proletarian Art" (March 1929)[31]
  • "Death of a Miner" (April 1929)[32]
  • "Iron Dinosaur" (July 1929)[33]
  • "An Anthology of American Negro Literature" (February 1930)[34]
  • "Subway" (March 1930)[35]
  • "Office Workers Lunch Hour" (April 1930)[36]
  • "The white bourgeois version of the Negro" (May 1930)[37]
  • "–as the white worker knows him" (May 1930)[38]
  • "Book Bargains" (May 1930)[39]
  • "Lynched Negro Worker" (September 1930)[40]
  • "(Unnamed, with "Strike!" and "Expensive")" (November 1930)[41]
  • "(Unnamed on back cover)" (November 1930)[42]
  • "...but Holy Father, look what we have done for the church!" (February 1931)[43]
  • "Unnamed (reads "Vive La Commune")" (March 1931)[44]
  • "Unnamed (with "Can You Make Out Their Voices")" (March 1931)[45]
  • "A Few Thoughts for 'Independence Day' On – Scottboro - Mooney & Billings - The Unemployed" (July 1931)[46]
  • "The Recruiting Agent, M.A., PH.D., D.D." (August 1931)[47]
  • "Books on Soviet Russia" (September 1931)[48]
  • "If Winter Comes" (September 1931)[49]
  • "Evolution of the Socialist Party" (November 1931)[50]
  • "The Mooney Case" (April 1932)[51]
  • "Ford" (May 1932)[52]
  • "Capitalist Crisis" (June 1932)[53]
  • "Equal Rights for Negroes" (July 1932)[54]
  • "Eviction" (July 1933)[55]
  • "Proposed Mural for the College of the City of New York" (July 1933)[56]
  • "(Unnamed, from The Paris Commune" (April 1934)[57]
  • "Symbols of Fascism" (October 1935)[58]
  • "Strike" (November 1935)[59]

Books, pamphlets illustrated:

  • Road to Cathay (1928)
  • Treasure of the Château (1929)
  • Boy's Gengis Khan (1930)[60]
  • In Lawrence's Bodyguard (1930)
  • Land Spell (1930)[61]
  • American History Retold in Pictures (1931)[2]
  • The Paris Commune: A Story in Pictures (1932)[62][63]
  • Uproar in the Village (1933)
  • Our Lenin (1934)[64]
  • Bananas: The Fruit Empire of Wall Street (1935)[65]

Books written and illustrated:

  • Around the World in a Mailbag (1932)[66]

See also

References
  1. "William Siegel, Playwright, Dies; Author of 150 Works for the Yiddish Stage Dies". New York Times. 24 May 1966. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  2. Mickenberg, Julia A. (2008). Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature. NYU Press. pp. 172–173, 289 (footnote). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  3. "Self-portrait" (PDF). New Masses: 22. April 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  4. "(catalog search on Wiliam Siegel)". Library of Congress. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  5. Baigell, Matthew (2007). Jewish Art in America: An Introduction. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 48. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  6. David A. Lincove (2004). "Radical Publishing to 'Reach the Million Masses': Alexander L. Trachtenberg and International Publishers, 1906–1966"". Left History: 87. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  7. Matthew Baigell; Milly Heyd (2001). Complex Identities: Jewish Consciousness and Modern Art. Rutgers University Press. p. 145 (exhibit), 153 (Birobidzhan). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  8. "Artists of Revlot". Jewish Telegraph Agency. 1934. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  9. Hemingway, Andrew (2002). Artists on the Left: American Artists and the Communist Movement, 1926-1956. Yale University Press. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  10. "Wharf Nigger" (PDF). New Masses. November 1929. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  11. "Negro Workers" (PDF). New Masses. July 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  12. "Going Up" (PDF). New Masses: 21. October 1926. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  13. "Nine Years" (PDF). New Masses: 6. November 1926. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  14. "Wanhsien Massacre" (PDF). New Masses: 10. November 1926. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  15. "China Awakens" (PDF). New Masses: 20. January 1927. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  16. "Crusaders Ordered South" (PDF). New Masses: 8. February 1927. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  17. "The White Peril" (PDF). New Masses: 3. March 1927. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  18. "Decoration" (PDF). New Masses: 5. March 1927. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  19. "Faster, Headsman, Faster!" (PDF). New Masses: 7. April 1927. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  20. "The Miners – Who Will Lead Them?" (PDF). New Masses: 9. June 1927. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  21. "Fifth Avenue Bus" (PDF). New Masses: 3. October 1927. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  22. "We–US & Co" (PDF). New Masses: 11. February 1928. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  23. "Decorations" (PDF). New Masses: 27. February 1928. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  24. "Subway Track Walkers" (PDF). New Masses: 9. July 1928. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  25. "The Linesman" (PDF). New Masses: 19. July 1928. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  26. "It Will Fall" (PDF). New Masses: 20. July 1928. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  27. "(Unnamed, shows miners)" (PDF). New Masses: 5. September 1928. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  28. "Strike!" (PDF). New Masses: 20. October 1928. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  29. "(Unnamed, shows miners)" (PDF). New Masses: 26. November 1928. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  30. "Decaying Beauty" (PDF). New Masses: 25. January 1929. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  31. "Proletarian Art" (PDF). New Masses: 4. March 1929. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  32. "Death of a Miner" (PDF). New Masses: 13. April 1929. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  33. "Iron Dinosaur" (PDF). New Masses: 18. July 1929. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  34. "An Anthology of American Negro Literature" (PDF). New Masses: 24. February 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  35. "Subway" (PDF). New Masses: 10. March 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  36. "Office Workers Lunch Hour" (PDF). New Masses: 13. April 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  37. "The white bourgeois version of the Negro" (PDF). New Masses: 7. April 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  38. "–as the white worker knows him" (PDF). New Masses: 7. April 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  39. "Book Bargains" (PDF). New Masses: 24. April 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  40. "Lynched Negro Worker" (PDF). New Masses: 8. September 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  41. "Unnamed, with "Strike!" and "Expensive"" (PDF). New Masses: 18. November 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  42. "(Unnamed on back cover)" (PDF). New Masses: 24. November 1930. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  43. "...but Holy Father, look what we have done for the church!" (PDF). New Masses: 17. February 1931. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  44. "Evolution of the Socialist Party" (PDF). New Masses: 6. March 1931. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  45. "Unnamed (with "Can You Make Out Their Voices")" (PDF). New Masses: 7. March 1931. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  46. "A Few Thoughts for 'Independence Day' On – Scottboro - Mooney & Billings - The Unemployed" (PDF). New Masses: 6. July 1931. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  47. "The Recruiting Agent, M.A., PH.D., D.D." (PDF). New Masses: 4. August 1931. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  48. "Books on Soviet Russia" (PDF). New Masses: 2. September 1931. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  49. "If Winter Comes" (PDF). New Masses: 4. September 1931. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  50. "Evolution of the Socialist Party" (PDF). New Masses: 22. November 1931. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  51. "The Mooney Case" (PDF). New Masses: 19. April 1932. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  52. "Ford" (PDF). New Masses: 15. May 1932. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  53. "Capitalist Crisis" (PDF). New Masses: 23. July 1932. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  54. "Equal Rights for Negroes" (PDF). New Masses: 17. July 1932. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  55. "Eviction" (PDF). New Masses: 5. July 1933. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  56. "Proposed Mural for the College of the City of New York" (PDF). New Masses: 20. July 1933. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  57. "Unnamed, from The Paris Commune" (PDF). New Masses: 41. April 1934. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  58. "Symbols of Fascism" (PDF). New Masses: 20. October 1935. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  59. "Strike" (PDF). New Masses: 28. November 1935. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  60. William Siegel (1930). "Illustrations". Boy's Gengis Khan. By Lamb, Harold. James Gilman (ed.). R.M. McBride & Company. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  61. William Siegel (1930). "Illustrations". Land Spell. By Carroll, Gladys Hasty. Macmillan. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  62. William Siegel (1932). "Illustrations". The Paris Commune: A Story in Pictures (PDF). By Lenin. International Publishers. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  63. "The Paris Commune (advertisement" (PDF). New Masses: 31. April 1932. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  64. William Siegel (1934). "Illustrations". Our Lenin,. By Lenin. Ruth Shaw; Harry Alan Potamkin (eds.). International Publishers. p. 62. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  65. William Siegel (1935). "Illustrations". Bananas: The Fruit Empire of Wall Street (PDF). By Luis Montes. International Publishers. p. 24. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  66. Siegel, William (1932). Around the World in a Mailbag. R. M. McBride & company. Retrieved 13 May 2020.

External sources
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