Eight Week Exercise Ink caricature of three unlikely Polish Army recruits
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 9.750 inches (24.765 cm) | Width: 7.250 inches (18.415 cm)
Creator(s)
- Peter Ehrenthal (Compiler)
Biographical History
The Katz Ehrenthal Collection is a collection of more than 900 objects depicting Jews and antisemitic and anti-Jewish propaganda from the medieval to the modern era, in Europe, Russia, and the United States. The collection was amassed by Peter Ehrenthal, a Romanian Holocaust survivor, to document the pervasive history of anti-Jewish hatred in Western art, politics and popular culture. It includes crude folk art as well as pieces created by Europe's finest craftsmen, prints and periodical illustrations, posters, paintings, decorative art, and toys and everyday household items decorated with depictions of stereotypical Jewish figures.
Archival History
The drawing was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by the Katz Family.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Katz Family
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Cartoon, Eight Week Exercise, drawn by an unknown artist, of three very young, and comical looking, youth in ill fitting military uniforms, standing at parade rest. The uniform is likely that of the voluntary Polish Legion, although apart from the cap, in style and fit it resembles the uniform of the Polish Army Podhale Rifles regiment, circa 1930s. This drawing is one of more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Cartoon in ink with paint on light brown cardboard of 3 young teenage boys in ill fitting military uniforms standing, as best they can, at parade rest, rifles butts on the ground in rest position. They wear sagging field caps with a Polish eagle badge, jackets with cuffs, epaulets, and high collars with a zigzag design, cartridge belt with 2 ammo packs, jodhpurs, puttees, and clunky laced shoes. Their right hands grasp the rifle barrel, left arms hang at the side. On the left stands a Jewish boy, with a long, curved nose; next, a tall skinny youth with a pointed nose, longish hair, and glasses; then a short boy with a snub nose, who is too small for his uniform. The rifles and leather fittings are shaded light yellow-brown and there are areas with white correction ink. The drawing is detailed and expertly drawn.
Subjects
- Soldiers in art.
- Jews--Caricatures and cartoons--20th century.
- Caricatures and cartoons--Soldiers.
- Soldiers--Caricatures and cartoons.
- Jewish soldiers--Poland--Pictorial works.
- Soldiers--Poland--Pictorial works.
Genre
- Art
- Object