Al Hirschfeld had a passion for the sport of baseball. He once played on a semi-professional baseball team, which influenced his artistic endeavors. Throughout his career, he created drawings for baseball themed plays such as Damn Yankees and Fences.

Hirschfeld regularly worked with charcoal, most often using the medium for studies for published works. This particular charcoal study was for the ‘Country Store’ published January 29, 1939, in the New York Times. It’s description read: THE HOT STOVE LEAGUE STILL IS A FLOURISHING INSTITUTION IN SMALL-TOWN AMERICA, NYT MAG 1/29/39. The study lovingly features a portrait of Al’s father – the standing figure mimicking a batter. This lot is a charming ode to baseball during its Golden Age, and to a strong passion for the sport he fondly shared with his father.

Restoration to tears throughout, discoloration and possible adhesion residue on lower right: VG.