Wounded Hitler Looks to Napoleon. New York, circa 1943.

SZYK, Arthur. Wounded Hitler Looks to Napoleon. (New York, circa 1943.) Pencil on paper. Measures 8 1/2″ x 5 7/8″. Image size: 6 1/2″ x 4 3/4″. Very Good condition.

In this piece, Szyk begins to develop the basic structure for a political cartoon with a very rudimentary preliminary sketch. Appearing on the back of a piece of graph paper with torn edges, it is likely he jotted this idea down as a draft, quickly working out the elements he wanted to capture in the finished cartoon.

At upper left we see Napoleon, short and squat with a furrowed brow and jaunty stance. His hand-in-waistcoat pose and traditional bicorn hat cements his identity as the famous French leader. At lower right, a somewhat sheepish looking Hitler peers up at Napoleon, with eyebrows raised as though in surprise or pleading. Hitler’s body is very faintly described, but it appears that his right leg is wounded and that he is supporting himself on crutches. It is unclear what details Szyk intended to add to this cartoon, or what caption would have been appropriate, but he elegantly captures the mood and postures of these two men with a few cursory strokes of his pencil.

Provenance: Alexandra Szyk Bracie, daughter of Arthur Szyk.