Bidspirit auction | Issue of the American Collier's

Issue of the American Collier's Magazine - Anti-Nazi Illustration by Arthur Szyk - Issue of the American Collier's magazine, dated February 14, 1942 - published only two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into the Second World War. The cover features an anti-Nazi caricature by Arthur Szyk. Szyk depicted the cover as the three leaders of the Axis powers portrayed as a murderous band of highway robbers: Adolf Hitler (Nazi Germany): Standing at the center as the principal figure, dressed in a khaki military coat bearing a swastika and the Iron Cross decoration. In his crippled left hand, he holds a staff bearing the pirates' flag (skull and crossbones) instead of the Reich flag, symbolizing the piratical and murderous nature of his regime. His face is contorted in a grim and anxious expression. Emperor Hirohito (Japan): Standing in the foreground on the left, depicted as a diminutive figure wearing an elaborate military uniform heavily adorned with gold decorations, in stark contrast to his disheveled appearance. In his right hand he holds a bloodstained dagger with a tag attached bearing the contemptuous inscription ”Pearl Harbor, ” while in his left hand he carries a traditional Japanese katana. Benito Mussolini (Fascist Italy): Relegated to the background on the right. He is dressed in tattered, almost comical military attire with a torn sleeve revealing a blood-soaked bandage on his arm, while a Nazi swastika armband is tied around his right arm, portraying him as Hitler's subservient follower and humiliated subordinate rather than an equal ally. In the left background appears a small skeleton dressed in military uniform and wearing a Nazi military cap, holding a document inscribed ”New Order, ” while connected by a thin red string to Hitler's hand - a symbol of the destruction and death brought about by the Nazis' ”New Order.” The cover headline, ”STUKA! NEW AIR FIGHTERS MENACE YOU, ” refers to a comprehensive feature appearing in the issue on the threat posed by the Nazi Stuka aircraft. 62 pages. Complete issue. Light stain at the lower right corner of the cover. Good condition.