German postcard - Hopefully someone has the answers.

I have had this postcard for years & unearthed it today. It has always fascinated me because the image is so unusual. At first glance you think it is a child but when you view the face up close she is a lot older. LOL



Thanks for any & all advice or opinions!!!

 

The Brits, Frenchies, and Ruskies are mad at us. Please send money.

 

Have you had the message translated? Looks like some kind of satirical treatment of raising funds for the Red Cross.

 

Have you had the message translated?

I don't know anyone who can read/speak German & the writing is expremely hard to read so I can't even use a translator on-line.

 

If it was intended to be sympathetic, it didn't succeed. That "person" looks down-right evil.

 

Thank you so much Davey!!!

I tried several times to make out what was on the can & I guess it never occured to me to try what was on the back. LOL

 

I enjoy this type of old "make a statement" artwork. It was rarely pretty, most often political in nature, even when it wasn't meant to illustrate anything particularly politico. As a child, I was fascinated by "fairy tales" that had brutal illustrations.

 

Hi, the "artist΄s" signature reads Emil Gutman, I found just one work by him, without a photo, dated 1911 and showing the palace of Karlsruhe in Hessen, so he seems to have been a local painter. If you post a bigger picture of the back side I could try to read the handwriting for you...

 

I'll try to take some better photos of the writing later today.
My camera is just about ready to totally die & I really need to get a new one but I can't find one I like. I have noticed it is getting difficult to get a good clear close shot lately. I have definitely gotten my moneys worth out of this one though. It is an Olympus that I bought in 2005 & I want another one that is simple to use like this one.

 

Do you have a scanner? I've had good luck getting really clear images of writing and pictures that way. I might be able to get something out of the handwriting if I could see it.

 

I've tried making the text easier to read on the whole card by zoom and editing, but still can't make out the individual words, letters, in hopes of getting a translation. Your pic of just the top of the text is very readable. Can you take a pic of the whole left side, text, of the card like you did that last pic? Am posting my results, in hopes someone can read it.

--- Susan

 

Found this postcard. The webpage insinuates the artist was Emil Beithan; however, I agree with Mat that the sig. on the card says Emil Gusman or Gutman. The webpage has pictures of several of his postcards with yours as one of them - 6th down. The page says this about them:

"Hideous Children Of World War One!
Was this collection of "homunculi"an Imperial German secret weapon? Really who thought these postcards of German peasant children circa 1914-1916 were"cute?" The artist was Emil Beithan and his artistry is good but ...REALLY?"

http://ilikethethingsilike.blogspot.com/2011/08/hideous-children-of-world-war-one.html

Here are some auction results of Emil Beithan:
http://www.artnet.com/artists/emil-beithan/past-auction-results
A little info on him:
http://www.akpool.co.uk/categories/34466-postcards-artist-beithan-emil
http://translate.google.com/transla...ia.thule-italia.com/emil-beithan/&prev=search

and presumably a book about his post cards has been published. Here is a translation of the book's info. May take a few minutes to load.
http://translate.google.com/transla...ons.com/blog/do/tag/emil-beithan/&prev=search

--- Susan

 

Good heavens! Hideous is the perfect description. They aren't all as evil-looking, but who knew there were so many!

 

He portrays cute as well as he writes his name

 

As a friend of mine used to say, that child was whupped with an ugly stick!

 

And she's holding copies of the postcard with her image. Nice.

 

I am not sure this PC warrants all of this research, but I appreciate it very much.

I took several photos of the written message on the back. Hopefully Mat or evelyb can make out the gist of the message. I also did not reduce the size of the photos at all so I apologize if they cause anyone any problems.



Thank you all once again!!!!