Linen poster with the song and lyrics to Schnitzelbank
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 40.000 inches (101.6 cm) | Width: 29.000 inches (73.66 cm)
Creator(s)
- Broadway Publishing Company (Publisher)
Archival History
The music poster was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2006 by William Harkavy.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of William Harkaway
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Large Schnitzelbank linen poster for the popular German call and response song. It is printed with the music and lyrics for the song "Schnitzelbank" and features 12 sets of cartoon images with captions for the rhyming sets used to vary the short verses. This version includes a stereotypical caricature of a Jewish man with the name "Judenmeier" paired with "Grose Eier" (Large Eggs), and 11 other rhyming pairs with drawings. The Schnitzelbank is a popular German drinking song often sung at carnivals, Octoberfests, and other festivals. A poster with cartoons and captions for the rhyming sets is displayed on the stage. The song leader then points to a picture and asks "ist das nicht ein Schnitzelbank?" The crowd responds with the refrain "Ja, das ist ein Schnitzelbank," and so on. The full lyrics were often printed on the side. There are many different versions of the poster using different images and rhyming sets. Beer distributors often produced versions with their name in the top heading.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Large discolored, offwhite linen sheet printed in black ink with English and German text and cartoon images. The chart has 3 main sections: at the top is the title in large font, and a music staff with notes. The center has a narrow column on the left with the complete song lyrics, and in a square box at the bottom, a price list for mail orders of the sheet music. The central body of the poster is divided into 3 horizontal sections to present 24 cartoonlike drawings with 1 or 2 word captions. Each section has 2 rows of numbered captioned images with the rhyming sets paired vertically: 1 Schnitzelbank pairs with the set below it, 2 Kurz and Lang. Publishing information is printed along the bottom.
Subjects
- Antisemitism--United States--Caricatures and cartoons.
- Songs, German.
- Germans--United States--Music--Posters.
Genre
- Object
- Posters