Monday, May 02, 2022
Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Sid Hix
Advertising Age, 3/14/1949 and
Advertising Requirements, 3/1953
Sid Hix was born Sydney Arthur James Hicks on July 23, 1900, in Brighton, England, according to his World War I and II draft cards. His family sailed from England to Montreal, Canada where they landed on September 9, 1907. From there they crossed the border to the United States.
The 1910 U.S. Federal Census recorded Hicks, his parents and two sisters in Joplin, Missouri on Twentieth Street. Hicks’ father was an electrician at a light company.
On September 9, 1917, Hicks signed his World War I draft card. His address was Ozark, Missouri. The card said he was a student and had these initials S.A.I.C. which might be the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Hicks’ description was medium build, tall, with gray eyes and light brown hair.
In the 1920 census, the Hicks family of six resided on Walnut Street in Ozark, Finley Township, Missouri. Hick was unemployed. His father was a lineman for a power company.
At some point, Hicks moved to Chicago. The Christian County Republican (Ozark, Missouri), June 5, 1925, reported Hick’s marriage.
Miss Rinnie Logan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M. R. Logan, who accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Paul Barrett to Chicago Sunday night, was married in Chicago Monday evening, June 1st to Mr. Sidney Hicks, formerly of Ozark and son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hicks of Ozark.
Apparently Hicks had sufficient work during the 1920s and into the 1930s. The 1930 census said he was a self-employed commercial artist. Hicks, his wife and son lived at 442 24th Street in Bellwood, Proviso Township, Illinois. His house was valued at eight-thousand dollars.
Hicks’ hometown paper, Christian County Republican, tracked his accomplishments. The May 21, 1931 edition said
Sid Hix, Advertising CartoonsThe writer holds on his knee a group of advertising cartoons drawn by Sidney Hicks (Sid Hix), former Ozark boy, now an established commercial artist at 29 Quincy street, telephone 3200, Chicago, Illinois. The group of cartoon[s] were sent to Chas. Shollenberger of the Ozark Drug store. Sidney has risen rapidly in his work and now draws for many of the leading advertisers and advertising agencies of the United States. Sidney is doing work for such concerns was the Opportunity Publishing Co.; The International Harvester Company; Fairbanks-Morse & Co.; Wm. H. Rankin Co.; Henri, Hurst & McDonald; The Chicagoan; Chicago Surface Lines; Lord & Thomas & Logan; Palmolive Soap Co.; Brunswick-Balke Co.; Bell Telephone Co., and several others.
The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, Volume 33, 2003, described the series Standard Oil Comics which were dated 1933. The comics were four-pages tabloid-size in full-color with Fred Opper’s Si & Mirandi, “Other strips include Pesty And His Pop & Smiling Slim by Sid Hicks.”
Hicks produced the series Safety Sonnets in November 1938.
According to the 1940 census, Hicks had moved to 1400 Fifteenth Avenue in Maywood, Proviso Township, Illinois. His house was valued at nine-thousand dollars. Hicks had four years of college education.
Hicks signed his World War II draft card on February 16, 1942. His address was the same. He was described as six feet two inches, 185 pounds, with gray eyes and blonde hair. He was a commercial artist with a studio at 75 East Wacker in Chicago. His first name was now spelled Sidney.
The Christian County Republican, July 2, 1942, reported Hicks and the Philco Corporation advertisements.
In a full page ad in Collier’s, Philco Corporation this week presented a large cartoon by Sid Hix, with the following note: “This interpretation by Sid Hix of America’s will to win is one of a series being drawn for Philco by America’s leading editorial cartoonists. They are being posted before Philco’s soldiers of industry as an expression of their spirit and a reminder of the glorious purpose of their work.”The cartoon depicts Hitler, Hirohito and Mussolini frying in a skillet, with the American Laborer adding fuel to the fire, piling on big logs labeled “production”.Sid Hix is well known here as Sidney Hicks. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hicks living on route 2 north of Ozark. Mrs. Hicks’ father is M. R. Logan of Ozark.
Forbes, December 15, 1942
The Saturday Evening Post, April 24, 1943
The Saturday Evening Post, August 14, 1943
According to the Review and Forest Parker (Forest Park, Illinois), January 20, 1944, Hicks was active in the arts community.
Cartoonist Is to Be Guest at Womans Club ‘Mens Night’Mr. “Sid Hix,” nationally known cartoonist, whose cartoons appear in many publications such as Life, Time, Colliers, Saturday Evening Post, and the New Yorker as well as various newspapers, will be the speaker at the “Mens Night” meeting of the Forest park Woman’s club on Thursday evening, January 27, at 8 o’clock. Guest of honor are the husbands of members and other invited guests.Mr. Hix is a member of the Art Center, The Freelance Artists Guild and other artists’ groups of Chicago, the Maywood Arts club, and the Austin, Oak Park and River Forest Art league. His cartoon program of drawings in color are packed with entertaining humor and promise a rare treat for the eyes as well as the ear. ...
Hick was a regular contributor to the trade magazine Broadcast. Here are samples in the 1949 and 1959 volumes.
Hicks was at the same Maywood, Illinois address in the 1950 census.
He wrote an article for Advertising Requirements, March 1953, “Need To Save Money? Why Not Try Cartoons in Your Advertising?”
Art Direction, April 1956, noted Hick’s move: “Sarasota, Fla.: Sid Hix, Chicago cartoonist, has moved his studio here, 2313 Valencia Dr.” The 1957 Sarasota city directory listed Hicks as a teacher at the Ringling School of Art.
Hix passed away on January 21, 1974, in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. An obituary appeared the following day in the Tampa Bay Times.
Sidney Hicks, Cartoonist, Art TeacherSidney A. “Sid Hix” Hicks, 73, cartoonist and a cartoon instructor at Ringling School of Art in Sarasota until this year, died Monday (Jan. 21 1974).Mr. Hicks was an advertising cartoonist whose work ranged from gag cartoons for product advertising to posters for the National Safety Council and from book Illustrations to animated film cartoons. He moved to Sarasota in 1956 upon retiring.He then authored and illustrated a book called “Retiring Time” and became a member of the faculty of the Ringling school.Mr. Hicks attended the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as the American Academy of Fine Arts, before starting his 8-year career as a freelance cartoonist.A resident of Chicago for 30 years, he moved to St. Petersburg Beach from Sarasota two years ago.Survivors include his wife Irene M.; a son, James L. of Chicago; a sister, Mrs. Gertrude Campbell of Palo Alto, Calif.; and five grandchildren.Baynard-Thompson Beach Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles
