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John Heartfield

(Berlin, Germany, 1891 - 1968, East Berlin, Germany)

Neue Erfolge Der Naziheilkunde: SENF statt KÄSE

1935

Photogravure

15 x 10 in. (38.1 x 25.4 cm)

Collection of the Akron Art Museum

Museum Acquisition Fund

1979.24

© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

More Information

There are many puns here. “Dr. Goebbels Heilsenf” (Dr. Goebbels’s healing mustard) on the distinctly unappetizing mustard pot suggests “Heil mustard!” “Giving one’s mustard” is German slang for making a stupid, uncalled for contribution to a discussion. “Brown mustard” refers not only to the condiment but also to Nazi rubbish, because käse (cheese) is slang for nonsense or rubbish. Joseph Weißenberg (1855-1941), a religious leader known as “the apostle of white cheese,” proclaimed the food had healing properties. His sect was banned in 1935, even though it had supplied followers to the Nazi movement.

Keywords
Germany
Politics
Photomontage
Photogravure
Commercial Art
World War II
Propaganda