Illuminated Mein Kampf

Illustrations:

"Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea." --Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

From 1936 edition showing a German newspaper

      There are not many illustrations in Mein Kampf.  Many editions contain photos of Adolf Hitler, the war effort, or prominent Nazi leaders.  However, not many have any sort of illustrations.  The 1936 edition of Mein Kampf from Morrow Library had a few examples of Nazi propaganda.  So, I decided to research more about these sketches and about the making and printing of Nazi propaganda at the time.  

From 1936 edition

      In my research, I came across a famous Nazi artist named Hans Schweitzer.  He specialized in posters, illustrations, and caricatures.  He joined the NSDAP in 1926 and began work on creating several propaganda posters for the Nazi party.  He published the illustrations under the pseudonym "Mjölnir." 

Hans Schweitzer Illustration

     Schweitzer published illustrations in several Nazi newspapers, like Völkischer Beocachter.  This newspaper referred to him as "the sketcher par excellence of national-socialism" (Cinamon.) He also illustrated books for Nazi leaders such as Goebbels.  He became an honorary member of the SS, holding prestigious positions over the Chamber of Art.  He was captured in 1947, after fleeing with his family to Schleswig-Holstein.  In 1955, he expunged his Nazi record entirely, and he continued his work as an illustrator.  He opperated under a new name, Herbert Sickinger, and taught painting in Westphalia.  He died in September of 1980 (Cinamon.)

Hans Schweitzer Illustration

  They used a chromolithograph to mass produce the posters, which is a process specifically used for multi-colored works.  Chromolithographs relied on intensive work by the artist, aiming to create a piece of art closely resembling a painting done by hand. In order to create chromolithographs quicker and cheaper, artists relied heavily on black inks and reprinted the colors over top the black. That can be seen in the first Schweitzer illustration.  This was used until, in the 1930s, when offset printing became popular.  Offset-color printing was used in the poster to the right.  The image is "offset" from a rubber plate to a blanket. 

Cinamon, Gerald. "Hans Schweitzer." German Graphic Designers during the Hitler Period:              Biographical and Bibliographical References by Gerald Cinamon. N.p., 2013. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.

"Offset Printing." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.