Hartmut Lahm Australia

Born
23 December 1912? in Estonia
Died
28 May 1981 in Australia
Age
68 years
Credited for

writing

art

editing

colours

letters

Also known as

Hotpoint (pen name)

Hotti (pen name)

Hottie (pen name)

Hotty (pen name)

Hardtmuth Lahm (birth name)

AusReprints

Hardtmuth Lahm (1973)

Snowy McGann (Associated Newspapers) 1951-06-03 (1951)

Read more

Design & Art Australia Online

www.collectingbooksandmagazines.com

www.portrait.gov.au

www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au

Biography

Lahm's family migrated to Australia in 1929. He studied at East Sydney Technical College, where a fellow student named him 'Hotpoint'. He started using the pen name and soon changed it to 'Hottie'. His first published cartoon was in The Sydney Mail in 1930, ahead of graduating from the Advanced Art Course (The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 January 1931).

From 1932, he began freelancing for Smith's Weekly and The Bulletin, as well as Associated Newspapers' The Sun and The Australian Women's Weekly, with whom he developed a long-standing association. He is particularly known for his cartoons and caricatures.

In 1934 and 1935, Lahm created the comics 'Basso the Bear' and 'Popsy Penguin' for Fatty Finn's Weekly.

Lahm's first cartoons for KG Murray's Man appeared in December 1936. The following year, he created the popular Snifter, an incontinent dog that became a patriotic symbol during the second world war and featured in a number of booklets to raise funds for the war effort. In May 1949 a younger version called Snifter Junior began on the inside back page of Man Junior. Lahm drew Snifter until Man was cancelled in 1974, around the time Lahm's retired.

The comic 'David and Dawn' drawn by Lahm, published in Smith's Weekly in 1939, included an aboriginal boy named Tuckonie who later became the star of the radio serial and books illustrated by Lahm, 'The Search for the Golden Boomerang'. This serial was parodied by Emile Mercier in his comic series 'The Search for the Golden Wombat'.

Lahm became an Australian citizen in 1939 (The Daily Telegraph, 28 June 1939).

In 1951, he created the comic strip Snowy McGann for The Sunday Sun (3/6/1951), which initially promoted it heavily to replace Ginger Meggs after Bancks moved to the Sunday Telegraph. When The Sunday Sun and Sunday Herald merged in 1953, the series continued in The Sun-Herald, probably running until episode #169 on 29 August 1954.

Lahm illustrated a number of children's books, including his own book Paddy Bow-Wow (1947). He worked as a commercial artist, occasional photographer, and painter. He was shortlisted for the Archibald Prize in 1969. People magazine calling him 'one of Australia’s busiest and most original artists' (2 August 1950). Very little of his original artwork remains, with most destroyed when newspapers closed or merged.

He was a founding member of the Sydney Wine and Food Society (~1945).

Showing items 1 to 50 of 50

Australian printings by date (Try a search for more information)    
The Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney Newspapers Ltd., 1933 series) v2#22 (3 November 1934)
Untitled (Some New Laughs)
Magazine: Cartoon
The Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney Newspapers Ltd., 1933 series) v2#23 (10 November 1934)
Untitled (Some New Laughs)
Magazine: Cartoon
The Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney Newspapers Ltd., 1933 series) v2#25 (24 November 1934)
Untitled (Some New Laughs)
Magazine: Cartoon
The Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney Newspapers Ltd., 1933 series) v2#27 (8 December 1934)
Untitled (Some New Laughs)
Magazine: Cartoon
The Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney Newspapers Ltd., 1933 series) v2#28 (15 December 1934)
Untitled (Some New Laughs)
Magazine: Cartoon
The Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney Newspapers Ltd., 1933 series) v2#29 (22 December 1934)
Untitled (Some New Laughs)
Magazine: Cartoon
Smith's Weekly (Smith's, 1919 series) v20#19 (9 July 1938)
Untitled (David & Dawn)
Newspaper: Comic story
Smith's Weekly (Smith's, 1919 series) v20#45 (7 January 1939)
Untitled [The Prince of the Blue Mountains, Episode 2] (David & Dawn)
Newspaper: Comic story
Smith's Weekly (Smith's, 1919 series) v20#45 (7 January 1939)
Untitled
Newspaper: Cartoon
Smith's Weekly (Smith's, 1919 series) v20#46 (14 January 1939)
The Prince of the Blue Mountains Episode 3 (David & Dawn)
Newspaper: Comic story
Smith's Weekly (Smith's, 1919 series) v20#47 (21 January 1939)
The Prince of the Blue Mountains Episode 4 (David & Dawn)
Newspaper: Comic story
The Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney Newspapers Ltd., 1933 series) v7#23 (11 November 1939)
Sock Squad, Shun! -- Present Knitting Needles
Magazine: Text article
The Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney Newspapers Ltd., 1933 series) v7#24 (18 November 1939)
Lower Gets the "Lowdown" from Hitler
Magazine: Text article
Snifter's War Effort (H. Lahm, 1940?) (1940)
No title recorded
Comic: Cover
Lahm's line-up (Consolidated, 1940?) (1940)
No title recorded
Comic: Cover
Cavalcade (KG Murray, 1941? series) #6/41 (June 1941)
Untitled
Magazine: Cartoon
Cavalcade (KG Murray, 1941? series) #6/41 (June 1941)
Untitled
Magazine: Cartoon
Snifter of the A.I.F. (H. Lahm, 1941?) (1941)
No title recorded
Comic: Cover
The Search for the Golden Boomerang (Winn & Co., 1941) (1941)
Untitled
Children's book: Cover
Snifter of the A.I.F. (H. Lahm, 1941?) (1941)
Untitled [Sample page] (Snifter)
Comic: Cartoon
Snifter’s Post War Plan (H. Lahm, 1941?) (1941)
Untitled (Snifter)
Comic: Cover
Man [Man Magazine] (KG Murray, 1936? series) v11#5 (April 1942)
Untitled
Comic: Comic story
World's News (ANL, 1936 series) #2129 (26 September 1942)
Untitled (Set Down in Fun!)
Magazine: Cartoon
Further Adventures of Tuckonie (Winn & Co., 1942?) (December 1942)
Peggy's Initiation
Book: Illustration
Bushland Tales (Winn & Co., 1945) (1945)
Untitled
Children's book: Cover
Bushland Tales (Winn & Co., 1945) (1945)
Nyngan Sets Out
Children's book: Illustration
Bushland Tales (Winn & Co., 1945) (1945)
Nyngan and the Platypus
Children's book: Illustration
Bushland Tales (Winn & Co., 1945) (1945)
The Talking Tortoises
Children's book: Illustration
David and Dawn with George Edwards in Fairyland (Shepherd & Newman, 1945?) (1945)
No title recorded
Comic: Cover
Man [Man Magazine] (KG Murray, 1936? series) v19#5 (May 1946)
Untitled (Snifter)
Comic: Cartoon
Mister Snifter (Edgar Lambert Press, 1946) (1946)
No title recorded
Book: Cover
Mister Snifter (Edgar Lambert Press, 1946) (1946)
Snifter's Dream
Book: Comic story
The Antics of Algy (Angus & Robertson, 1946) (November 1946)
Untitled
Children's book: Cover
Paddy Bow Wow (Angus & Robertson, 1947) (October 1947)
No title recorded
Children's book: Cover
Man [Man Magazine] (Man, 1946 series) v23#5 (April 1948)
No title recorded
Magazine: Cover
World's News (ANL, 1936 series) #2444 (23 October 1948)
Ma and the Antique Bug
Magazine: Text story
Sporting Life (ANL, 1946 series) April 1949 (April 1949)
Untitled (Sportfolly)
Magazine: Cartoon
Sporting Life (ANL, 1946 series) June 1949 (June 1949)
Untitled (Sportfolly)
Magazine: Cartoon
Income Tax Guide, 1948-1949 (Unknown, 1949?) (1949)
No title recorded
Book: Cover
Man [Man Magazine] (Man, 1946 series) v32#3 (August 1952)
Unaccustomed As I Am…
Magazine: Text article
Man Junior (Man Jr, 1949 series) v26#4 (June 1953)
Untitled (Snifter Junior)
Magazine: Cartoon
Sporting Life (ANL, 1946 series) November 1954 (November 1954)
There Can Always Be a Wotan
Magazine: Text article
World's News (ANL, 1936 series) #2760 (13 November 1954)
There Is Magic in Miss Merton's Meteorology
Magazine: Text article
World's News (ANL, 1936 series) #2760 (13 November 1954)
Gadgets Take Charge of Your Garden Now
Magazine: Text article
World's News (ANL, 1936 series) #2761 (20 November 1954)
Worn Well
Magazine: Text article
Sporting Life (ANL, 1946 series) November 1955 (November 1955)
Sportoons… (Sportoons...)
Magazine: Cartoon
Man [Man Magazine] (Man, 1946 series) v46#1 (June 1959)
Untitled
Magazine: Cartoon
Man [Man Magazine] (Man, 1946 series) v50#6 (November 1961)
Of Many Things
Magazine: Text article
Man [Man Magazine] (Man, 1946 series) v53#2 (January 1963)
Untitled
Magazine: Cartoon
Man [Man Magazine] (Man, 1946 series) v53#6 (May 1963)
Untitled
Magazine: Cartoon

Status

Created

  • 14 Jul 2018

Last updated

  • 15 Jan 2022