Lot 159
[World War I] French Poster by Steinlen: "En Belgique les Belges ont faim". Paris: Lapina, [1915], 49½ x 34 in. Linen backed. "In Belgium the Belgians are hungry…." Touting an artistic lottery to raise money to feed the people of Belgium. Looking wan, a group of hungry Belgians hold food pails. Minor professional fold repair. Swiss-born artist Steinlen Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923) was politically opposed to the war and made posters against it. Here he shows his sympathy for the starving populace of Belgium.
When the German Army got bogged down in trench warfare in Belgium, it seized Belgian food supplies to feed its troops. This and the Allied blockade of Germany and German-occupied countries, which prevented Belgian from importing food, had the populace on the verge of starvation. Thus, France's effort to feed her neighbor. Note: The CRB (Committee for Relief in Belgium), headed by Herbert Hoover, fed 11 million people in Belgium and northern France over a four-year period--a gargantuan effort.
Estimated Value $300 - 500.
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| Realized $185 |
