LOW, 'TWENTY YEARS AFTER', INK, 1934

356 by 495mm., pen and ink, signed and inscribed with title, mounted, framed and glazed

EXHIBITED:
'Images of Power: From the Jeffrey Archer Cartoon Collection', Monnow Valley Arts, 3 September - 30 October 2011

Evening Standard, 1 August 1934; Low's Political Parade with Colonel Blimp (London, 1936), [unpaginated]; Years of Wrath, A Cartoon History: 1931-1945 (New York, 1946), [unpaginated]

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Low’s cartoon of Hitler in conversation with a beleaguered Wilhelm II represents British concerns about the increasingly violent policies of Hitler’s Nazi Party. A month earlier, having been convinced by Himmler and Goring that plans were afoot to overthrow him, Hitler embarked upon a purge of his political enemies both within and outside the Nazi Party, in what became known as the ‘Night of the Long Knives’. Between 30 June and 2 July 1934, Hitler ordered the assassination of over 200 people, including the leader of the Nazi paramilitary unit, Ernest Rohm. There was concern in Britain that these actions had met with widespread approval in Germany, and were the latest stage of Hitler’s rise to total power. Low’s image represents the similarities in the actions of Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm II. In 1914, Wilhelm sanctioned Austrian aggression against Serbia, the perceived source of the ‘Black Hand’, the group responsible for the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, leading to the First World War. This cartoon shows remarkable foresight.