Irwin D. Hoffman, "The Unsung Hero", 1945
Item Details
Irwin D. Hoffman (Boston, Massachusetts; 1901 – 1989)
The Unsung Hero
drypoint etching on paper
inscribed to mat verso; Irwin Hoffman $175-/ (1901 – 1989)/ Merchant Marine, WWII ‘The Unsung Hero’/ ed. 250. Etching. American./ Signed in pencil/ with AAA certificate’
Associated American Artists label to print verso
The solemn bust-length portrait depicts a United States Merchant Marine. The man is dressed in civilian clothing with a newsboy cap and striped shirt. Drypoint details emphasize the wrinkles in the man’s face, suggesting a life of hard physical labor and the emotional toils of war. The Merchant Marine was a fleet comprised volunteer vessels of civilian volunteers responsible for transporting cargo and passengers. These volunteer vessels were subject to attack before the United States formally entered the War. Between November 1940 and December 1941, an estimated 17 volunteer vessels were sunk, damaged, detained, or otherwise threatened by Axis Powers. There is no centralized record agency for the Merchant Marines, leading to inaccuracies and assumptions in the number of deceased, missing, and prisoners of war. These uncertainties lead to the phrase ‘unsung hero’. Signed and dated in plate to the lower right corner. Titled and signed in graphite to the lower margin. An undisclosed number in an edition of 250, unmarked. The print is wrapped in protective plastic with an original biography from the Associated American Artists. Housed between two layers of cream colored matting.
The work is a typical medium and subject matter for the artist’s body of work. Hoffman was known for his portraiture and landscapes, commonly printed. His mature portraits focused on populist subjects including miners, rural and agricultural workers, and the impoverished.
Born in Boston, Hoffman formally studied art at the Boston Museum of Fine Art School at 15, later receiving a Page Travelling Scholarship. The scholarship allowed him to travel throughout Europe. The artist first exhibited solo at age 19 at Grace Horne Galleries in Boston. Other solo exhibitions in his lifetime were held throughout galleries in New York City. The artist maintained a studio in New York City until his death, travelling on occasion to visit his brothers. Hoffman’s siblings were prospectors with locations in the American Southwest, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Today, his works can be found in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Library of Congress, and more.
Condition
- an overall well-inked impression; minor amounts of scuffing and fingerprints along the front margins and verso of matting; minor corner wear to the matting; mild toning to the paper; negligible scratching to the protective plastic.
Dimensions
- measures matting; sheet size 10" W x 13" H; plate size approximately 6" W x 9" H.
Item #
17DCC124-040
