The Corporal is Leading Germany into a Catastrophe
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Working under the auspices of the Soviet propaganda ministry, Zhitomirsky produced posters and leaflets that were dropped from Soviet fighter planes as part of a campaign to demoralize German soldiers during World War II. Here, Germany’s “Iron Chancellor,” Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898), comes back to life in a painted portrait to point an accusing finger at the diminutive Führer (who never rose above the rank of corporal during his World War I army service), casting doubt on Hitler’s credentials as a military leader.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Corporal is Leading Germany into a Catastrophe
- Artist: Alexander Zhitomirsky (Russian, 1907–1993)
- Date: 1941
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: Image: 50 x 31.5 cm (19 11/16 x 12 3/8 in.)
Frame: 71.1 x 55.9 cm (28 x 22 in.) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco
- Curatorial Department: Photographs