Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case MM, Shelf 8

In Den Abgrund...

Poster
1919 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

When Germany became a republic after the First World War, neither communist nor right-wing nationalists accepted the principle of the new democracy. This poster vilifies both far left and far right in order to claim that the middle path of liberal democracy is the on way forward. Communists are personified as the pied piper and the devil. A caricature of a fat priest signifies right wing reactionaries who wanted a return to Imperial Germany. Theo Matejko produced posters for the German Democratic Party until 1933, after which he designed exclusively for the National Socialist [Nazi] Party.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • In Den Abgrund... (assigned by artist)
  • Into the Abyss... (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithography
Brief description
'In Den Abgrund...' election poster probably issued by the German Democratic Party (Deutsche Demokratische Partei), Germany, 1919
Physical description
A flute-playing red devil and a fat priest dressed in black stand on a moss-covered rock. In the distance are hordes of tiny human figures. Plain background.
Dimensions
  • Height: 95.3cm
  • Width: 126.3cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'IN DEN ABGRUND' (printed in black capital letters across the lower centre of the poster)
    Translation
    (from the German) In the Abyss
  • 'Führen sie euch // Darum Wählet//' (printed in black)
  • 'Bürgerlich-Demokratisch' (printed in green capital letters outlined in black)
  • 'Theo Matejko' (signed upper right corner)
Credit line
Gift of the American Friends of the V&A; Gift to the American Friends by Leslie, Judith and Gabri Schreyer and Alice Schreyer Batko
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
When Germany became a republic after the First World War, neither communist nor right-wing nationalists accepted the principle of the new democracy. This poster vilifies both far left and far right in order to claim that the middle path of liberal democracy is the on way forward. Communists are personified as the pied piper and the devil. A caricature of a fat priest signifies right wing reactionaries who wanted a return to Imperial Germany. Theo Matejko produced posters for the German Democratic Party until 1933, after which he designed exclusively for the National Socialist [Nazi] Party.
Other number
LS.250 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number
Collection
Accession number
E.1287-2004

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Record createdJune 11, 2004
Record URL
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