In Den Abgrund...
Poster
1919 (made)
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 |
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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 |
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Marks and inscriptions |
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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 created | June 11, 2004 |
Record URL |
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