Drawing by William Sharp

Object | Accession Number: 1995.132.59

Artwork Title: Please! Arms for Poor Germany
Date: 1935 (creation)
Language: English
Classification: Art
Category: Drawings
Object Type: Drawing (lcsh)
Credit Line: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Harold Shachner

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Physical Description: Image of Hitler standing in front of tank cannons, surrounded by all types of artillery. His palms are turned up in a pleading motion and his face shows a piteous look. Verso: white adhesive label with "12" typewritten on it in upper left corner
Dimensions: overall : 14.880 x 14.880 in. (37.795 x 37.795 cm.)
Materials: overall : paper, ink wash, ink, graphite, tempera
Markings: Verso: Right edge, toward top, "4 cols-" / "Set -" / "4126 in a half circle but crossed out / "4127" in a circle / "55" underlined, all in graphite
Signature: Signed and dated upper edge, left of center, "Sharp 35"
Inscription: Verso: lower half of lower half of sheet, center, "Pity Poor Germany!" in graphite and crossed out. Below this is, also in graphite, "Please! Arms for Poor Germany" with a crossed out exclamation point at the end of title.
Contributor: Artist: William Sharp
Biography: Leon Schliefer was born in 1900 in Germany. He served in the German army at the end of World War I (1914-1918). He became a political cartoonist and his work was published in the anti-Nazi press. He also specialized in courtroom trial sketches. After the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor in 1933, Schliefer emigrated to the United States. He changed his name to William Sharp and continued his career as an editorial cartoonist and illustrator. His work was published in the New York Times, Life Magazine, and other publications. He died in 1961, age sixty-one years.
Personal Name: Sharp, William, 1900-1961.
Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: The drawing was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1995 by Harold Shachner.
Conditions on Access: No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use: No restrictions on use
: Record last modified: 2018-10-24 14:07:46
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