Barnett Freedman, 1901-1958

Barnett Freedman was born in London on 19 May 1901. This is the date recorded on Freedman's birth certificate (see FRE/2/1/24) whilst his passport (see FRE/1/3/1/1) records his date of birth as 5 May 1901. He was the eldest son of Polish/Russian, Jewish, immigrants, Luis, and Reiza (ne Ruk) Friedman. Freedman was to alter the spelling of his surname by deed poll (see FRE/1/3/1/2), although whether this was a true change in the family name or the correction of an error on his birth certificate is unclear.

Freedman's childhood was marked by ill health, particularly the asthma that was to trouble him all his life. He spent four years, between the ages of nine and thirteen, confined to various hospital beds. Freedman's precocious talent for drawing led to his first employment, at fifteen, as a draughtsman to a monumental mason. During the period 1916-1922 he also worked for stonemasons, architects and sign writers. At the same time he attended evening classes at the St Martins School of Art and in 1922 gained a scholarship to the Royal College of Art (1922-1925) with the assistance of the College's Director Sir William Rothenstein. Freedman was later to teach, act as an examining visitor and be elected as an Honorary Fellow of the College (see FRE/1/1/329).

Freedman's first and his most long lasting success as a professional artist came through book illustration and the design of book jackets. Using pen and chalk for reproduction by line blocks for black and white and auto-lithography for colour, Freedman developed a singular and recognisable style. Perhaps his most notable jackets designs were for Faber and Faber, London (FRE/1/1/143, FRE/1/2/15) and his finest book illustrations for editions published by the Limited Edition Club, New York (FRE/1/1/241, FRE/1/2/25). Freedman was to employ the same techniques of auto-lithography on a larger scale in producing colour prints and posters for, amongst others, Contemporary Lithographs Ltd. (FRE/1/1/100), J. Lyons and Co. Ltd. (FRE/1/1/251, FRE/1/2/27), and Arthur Guinness and Sons Ltd. (FRE/1/1/170, FRE/1/2/20). He also secured a number of commissions in the field of commercial and industrial design working for, amongst others, William Macdonald and Sons (Biscuits) Ltd. (FRE/1/1/252, FRE/1/2/28), Shell-Mex and BP Ltd. (FRE/1/1/353, FRE/1/2/36), London Passenger Transport Board (FRE/1/1/246, FRE/1/2/26) and designing a number of commemorative postal stamps and trials for the General Post Office (FRE/1/1/303, FRE/1/2/19).

From 1940 to 1946 Freedman worked as an official War artist producing a number of painting and lithographs that became the property of the War Office (FRE/1/1/405, FRE/1/2/31). Freedman was awarded the C.B.E. in 1947, was elected as a Royal Designer for Industry in 1949, as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Arts in 1956 and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts [n.d.]. Freedman married Claudia (ne Guercio), also an artist and book illustrator, in 1930 and they had one son, Vincent, in 1933, both of whom survived Barnett Freedman who died on 4 January 1958.

From the guide to the Barnett Freedman Archive, 1927-1990, (Manchester Metropolitan University, Sir Kenneth Green Library)