Don Freeman

ASTOR LOBBY, SHOWTIME

1932

Illustrator, painter and lithographer, Don Freeman (1908-1978) was born in San Diego, CA in 1908. He studied at the San Diego School of Fine Arts and continued in 1928 at the Art Students League in New York City under John Sloan and Harry Wickey. Remaining in New York, he did drawings of the theater, which were published in the Herald Tribune, New York Times, and Theater Magazine. Most of his career was spent in New York city where he captured the spirit and essence of everyday life during the 1930s and 1940s. He illustrated the works, Human Comedy (Saroyan), White Deer (Thurber() and Once Around the Sun (Atkinson). He was the author of Come One, Come All, and in 1951 he began illustrating a total of 33 children's books, which he co-authored with his wife, Lydia. During his last 20 years he maintained a home in Santa Barbara, CA. He died in 1978 while in New York City to meet his editor at Viking Press. Three years before his demise Mayor Lindsey presented him with the keys to the city and dubbed him the "Daumier of New York City."