Catalog Archive
Auction 199, Lot 368

Rare Hungarian Serio-Comic Map at the Outset of WWI

"A Haborus Europa Terkep-Karikaturaja. 1914"

Subject: Europe, World War I

Period: 1915 (circa)

Publication: La Guerre Mondiale

Color: Printed Color

Size:
9.5 x 7 inches
24.1 x 17.8 cm
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This is a reduced-size edition of a rare anthropomorphic map by Imre Varga that gives a Hungarian perspective of the various powers at the outset of World War I. Human caricatures represent each country. The large, uncivilized Russian (with legions of Russian soldiers behind him) appears as the true aggressor here, against whom most other countries actively fight, including the Turkish, Hungarian, and Austrian soldiers. The Hungarian soldier is depicted as particularly brave, charging the Russian with a bayonet astride a horse. The fact that Hungary is depicted as separate from Austria makes this map quite unique compared with other serio-comic maps of the period. The German Empire is divided into two characters, a crocodile biting the Russian, and a soldier fighting France, who appears to have already surrendered, with a German cannon pointed at England. England and Wales are depicted as Churchill, finely dressed and smoking a cigar. Churchill oversaw Britain's naval and aerial efforts at the time as First Lord of the Admiralty, but was demoted in 1915 due to pressure from the Conservative Party. Ireland is a sailor trying to escape to the west, away from the war, while Italy is a lounging lady, oblivious to the fighting. A fascinating piece. This smaller edition was published in La Guerre Mondiale, and includes updates on the war on verso.

References:

Condition: B+

A few spots of foxing with light toning along the edges of the sheet.

Estimate: $375 - $450

Sold for: $450

Closed on 9/11/2024

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