A History of Wall Street Journal Hedcuts

Since 1979, the drawings, or hedcuts, have become much more than the currency and certificate engravings they were modeled on. So many likenesses of prominent figures have been featured that to have one’s hedcut appear in the Journal is, for most, a seminal moment.

“It sort of became a status symbol,” says staff artist Hai Knafo.

Wall Street Journal artist Hai Knafo.
Wall Street Journal artist Hai Knafo.
Knafo was one of the first hedcut illustrators to have ever worked at the Journal and with 27 years of service he’s also the longest-tenured.

“There’s nothing more complex, more interesting and, in a way, varied than the human face,” says Knafo.

Like all staff artists, he used to work at the Journal’s headquarters in downtown Manhattan, next door to the World Trade Center. Then the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks happened.