Industry Rescues Dollar from Inflation / War Bonds Rescue Dollar from Inflation.

SZYK, Arthur. Industry Rescues Dollar from Inflation (recto), War Bonds Rescue Dollar from Inflation (verso). (New York, circa 1943.) Pen and pencil drawings on paper. Sheet size: 11 7/8″ x 9″. Image sizes: 10 1/2″ x 7 7/8″ and 10 3/4″ x 5 3/4″. Very Good condition.

In this piece, Szyk experiments with the layout for a political cartoon, playing with different ways of visually interpreting his ideas about the U.S. wartime economy. It offers the viewer a rare glimpse into Szyk’s process in making his political cartoons before they reached publication. On recto, a muscular laborer dressed in overalls representing Industry struggles to pull a hysterical anthropomorphized U.S. dollar symbol from the edge of a cliff. Szyk envisions the dollar as a cowboy, attired in boots with riding spurs, a cowboy hat, and gloves. He waves his hands above his head in distress as he gazes down at his demise: a desolate bone-strewn wasteland labeled “inflation.” Three creatures perch on a rock in the foreground—a lizard, a vulture, and an ape-like creature with Mussolini’s head.

On verso, Szyk experiments with another interpretation of this theme. In this image, it is a cowboy who hauls his nervous-looking companion back from the brink of “inflation.” The companion grasps the rope tightly, bracing himself against the cliff with his legs, which Szyk labels “U.S. Currency.” A dollar sign emblazoned on his pistol holster and his arm further drive home this point. The rope which he holds is labeled “War Bonds.” Thus, in this reading of the image, Szyk argues that war bonds are responsible for mitigating inflation. In this image as in the image on recto, Szyk has detailed the figure hanging from the rope with ink, lending a rich depth to the facial features and accurately communicating the look of terror they both share.

Provenance:  Alexandra Szyk Bracie, daughter of Arthur Szyk.