Turbaned Merchant.
(1909 Lódz Sketchbook)
A well-dressed man wears a striped turban, gold-trimmed robe, and matching tunic. Quiet dignity is expressed by his straight, steady gaze.

Croquis de Paris.
(1911 Paris Sketchbook)
Drawn when Szyk was a 16-year-old student in Paris, this cover design shows a medieval royal couple reclining before a gravestone within the Musée Cluny courtyard.

The Art Academy.
(1913 Krakow Sketchbook)
Szyk enjoyed caricaturing those who ordinarily would be shown deference. He portrays the art academy as a boot camp where aging instructors drill the students into conformity.

Scouts to Canaan Show Grapes to Moses and the Israelites.
(Bible and Judaica)
Moses holds a staff and gestures to the returned scouts and their bounty: a bunch of enormous grapes. Two heads fleshed out in watercolor and gouache emerge from the otherwise quiet pencil drawing.

Sketch of Frieze with Camel.
(Bible and Judaica)
Above a double door is a decorative frieze. A saddled but riderless camel strides into the frame; in the background small houses dot the lush terrain.

Russian Jewish Shop Owner.
(Bible and Judaica)
A bearded Jewish shop owner engages with two non-Jewish customers across the counter.

Two Figures in Conversation.
(Bible and Judaica)
Szyk captures a Jew and his non-Jewish neighbor in friendly conversation.

Border for the Ten Commandments.
(Border Designs)
This border’s flowered vines, jewels, arabesques, and geometrical patterns evoke the poetry of Persian carpets. At the bottom a lion and stag flank the tablets of the Ten Commandments.

Border for the History of Texas.
(Border Designs)
The six nation’s flags that have flown over Texas appear in the left and right borders, among them France, Mexico, Spain, and the Republic of Texas.

Study of Men in Eastern European Folk Costume.
(Costumes and Characters)
Two men in Slavic costume are confidently but loosely drawn. The one on the left wears colorful, lavish dress while the one on the right wears simpler, patched pieces.

The Patriots.
(Historic Figures)
Men from various ethnic backgrounds and social strata join together to battle the Spanish in Venezuela’s struggle for independence.

Winston Churchill.
(Historic Figures)
Szyk captures the intensity of Churchill’s gaze while rendering the rest of his face with delicate pencil lines.

Polish Eagle and Lion of Judah.
(Medallions, Emblems, Motifs)
This design shows Szyk’s delicate pencil draftsmanship (and the absence of gridlines). The crowned eagle represents an independent Poland; the flanking Lion of Judah, the Jews of Poland.

Wounded Hitler Looks to Napoleon.
(Political Commentary)
Napoleon strikes a classic pose (right hand inside his lapel) while a wounded Hitler looks up to him with a perplexed expression.

Political Cabaret Dancers.
(Political Commentary)
Szyk satirizes the President, the Tzar, and the King, and the ineffectual governments they represent, portraying them as prancing cabaret dancers.

Hitler Conducting a Choir of International Followers.
(Political Commentary)
The sinister conductor leads a table of puerile followers, among them Mussolini, in song and salute.

Es Lebe die Kais(er).
(Political Commentary)
Four well-dressed men stand together, one of whom bears a flag reading, “Long Live the Emperor…Revolution.”

John Bull Chastises Uncle Sam.
(Political Commentary)
An overweight and belligerent John Bull (Great Britain) points an accusatory finger at a pensive Uncle Sam.

Industry Rescues Dollar from Inflation and War Bonds Rescue Dollar from Inflantion.
(Political Commentary)
A laborer in overalls represents Industry; he struggles to pull a hysterical anthropomorphized U.S. dollar symbol from the brink of disaster (that is, inflation).

Design for Jewish Army Uniforms.
(Soldiers and Other Military)
Stars of David on this soldier’s belt and armband wordlessly proclaim his cause.

Self-Portrait as a Soldier.
(Soldiers and Other Military)
An early Szyk self-portrait as a soldier in the Russian army, standing smartly with a salute.

Marshall von Hindenburg and General Ludendorff.
(Soldiers and Other Military)
Here stands Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg with his Chief of Staff, Erich Ludendorff.

Tsar and Jewish Soldier.
(Soldiers and Other Military)
A Tsar and Jewish soldier in uniform share their grievances.

Uncle Sam, Santa, and Children Play War.
(Political Commentary)
In this enigmatic drawing, Uncle Sam wears a bandolier and smiles bemusedly. He waves a conductor’s baton over a cascade of children and their toy weapons.