The Committee of Refugees Print and explanatory page depicting the refugee committee from the Hollandia Regenerata series
Extent and Medium
a: Height: 12.875 inches (32.703 cm) | Width: 9.875 inches (25.083 cm)
b: Height: 12.750 inches (32.385 cm) | Width: 9.875 inches (25.083 cm)
Creator(s)
- Peter Ehrenthal (Compiler)
- James Gillray (Printer)
- David Hess (Artist)
Biographical History
The Katz Ehrenthal Collection is a collection of more than 900 objects depicting Jews and antisemitic and anti-Jewish propaganda from the medieval to the modern era, in Europe, Russia, and the United States. The collection was amassed by Peter Ehrenthal, a Romanian Holocaust survivor, to document the pervasive history of anti-Jewish hatred in Western art, politics and popular culture. It includes crude folk art as well as pieces created by Europe's finest craftsmen, prints and periodical illustrations, posters, paintings, decorative art, and toys and everyday household items decorated with depictions of stereotypical Jewish figures.
Archival History
The print was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by the Katz Family.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Katz Family
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
This etching of the Committee for Refugees is the twelfth in the twenty plate series, Hollandia Regenerata. The series was originally illustrated by Swiss soldier and caricaturist, David Hess, as a satirical commentary on the newly created, French-supported Batavian Republic. The images were refined and etched by James Gillray, and published in 1796, likely by Hannah Humphrey of London, England. In December 1792, the French Republic decreed that it would declare the sovereignty of the people in nations it helped liberate. The Batavian Republic (now the Netherlands) was one such country, formed in January 1795. Prior to the successful revolution, several failed attempts had forced former combatants, known as Batavians, to flee as refugees. After 1795, many of these refugees returned looking for assistance, military positions, and other advantages provided by the Committee for Refugees. The print’s explanatory text suggests that if they are not needed to serve the Roman god of war, Mars, they are experienced in serving the god of deception and trickery, Mercury. To reinforce the theme, the image is framed by a man identified as a thief on the right, and a Jewish man identified as a tailor and broker on the left. Due to religious strictures regulating clothing, it was common for Jewish communities to have their own tailors. Economic and professional restrictions placed on early European Jews also forced many into occupations such as money changing or money lending. This added to the antisemitic stereotype of the greedy Jew who exploits Gentiles for their own economic advantage. They were perceived as morally deficient and willing to engage in unethical business practices. The etching is one of more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
a. Print of an etching in red ink, and an explanatory text page (b), on tan paper, removed from a bound set. The image depicts a street scene with several men arranged between two storefronts identified by Flemish signs. On the left, a tailor’s shop with a proprietor that doubles as a broker, has several objects hanging on the wall including two military officers’ uniforms, a bag of “military courage,” and a mask. In front of the building, standing on the far left, is the tailor-broker: a Jewish man with a long coat, full beard, and large nose. He is measuring a young man wearing a tricorn hat and clogs. To their right, a rotund man in a sash holds a pair of breeches in one hand, and drops a coin into the outstretched hand of a man in the opposite group. Just behind him stands a man with his hands on his hips. The group on the right side of the image stands in front of a Dutch Patriotic Society that doubles as a liquor store, and has a liberty cap above the door. The man receiving the coin stands beside a man holding out a pamphlet titled “Request.” A similar document is visible under the arm of the uniformed man just behind him, with a carriage lamp in his back pocket. A fourth man, wearing a tricorn hat, stands to his right. The Dutch title is centered below the scene, and a plate number is printed in the top left corner. There are handwritten, pencil markings on the lower front and back center. The image is off-center on the page, which has irregular edges where it was cut from the binding and possibly trimmed. The edges are discolored, and there are small, brown and black spots throughout. b. Explanatory text for a print of an etching (a) printed on tan paper removed from a bound set. At the top of the page is the plate number followed by the Dutch title. Just below is a short Bible verse. In the center of the page are two blocks of French text printed in black ink; the upper one an explanatory paragraph describing the context of the print, and the lower one an additional note about a particular detail. Beneath the blocks, the Bible verse is reprinted in English. The edges of the paper are discolored and irregular where cut from the binding. There are several small, brown spots throughout.
a. front, bottom left corner, pencil : 2 a. back, left center, pencil : 1798
People
- Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817.
- Gillray, James, 1756-1815.
- Hess, David, 1770-1843, artist.
Subjects
- London (England)
- Netherlands.
- Jews--England--19th century--Pictorial works.
- Stereotypes (Social psychology) in art.
- Jews--Caricatures and cartoons.
- Gamblers in art--19th century--Pictorial works.
- Antisemitism--Netherlands--19th century.
- Jews--Money--Pictorial works.
Genre
- Prints.
- Art
- Object