Tom Seidmann-Freud (1892–1930), born Martha Gertrude Freud in Vienna, was an Austrian children’s book illustrator and the niece of Sigmund Freud.

A gifted artist from a young age, she adopted the male name “Tom” at 15, shortly after her family moved to Berlin. The reasons for this name change are still debated, even within her family. Her cousin, Anna Freud, suggested it stemmed from Tom’s discomfort with traditional gender roles, while her daughter, Awiwa Harari, linked it to her father’s desire for a son. Her grandson, Amnon Harari, believed it was a pragmatic choice to avoid gender-based discrimination in the publishing world.

Tom began her artistic career in 1911, studying art in London, where she worked in the popular Art Nouveau style and produced her first creative works. After returning to Berlin, she experimented with various techniques and published her first major book, “Baby-Liederbuch” (“Baby-Songbook”) (1914). Despite the upheaval of World War I, she continued to write and illustrate children's books.

In 1921, Tom married writer Jankel Seidmann, and together they founded the Ophir publishing house. Tragedy struck in 1922 when her younger brother, Theodor, drowned—a loss that deeply affected her and inspired her most famous book, “Die Fischreise” (“The Fish Journey”), which she dedicated to his memory.

In 1929 a number of factors, including the economic crisis, brought financial ruin to Ophir. That October, Jankel took his own life, leaving Tom devastated. She followed suit just months later, ending her own life in early 1930 at the age of 37. Thanks to her family's efforts, her work survived the Holocaust, preserving her legacy. (ss)