Description:

Arthur Szyk Original Pen & Ink Drawing Satirizing WWII Detainment of French Sailors at Ellis Island

An original pen and ink drawing on paper by Polish-Jewish artist Arthur Szyk (1894-1952), captioned, "Their officers say they're traitors, they refused to fight 'the Americans!'…." Signed by the illustrator as "Arthur Szyk / N.Y. / 1943" at lower right. Light toning and isolated smudging. A tiny dab of corrective fluid appears on the foreground sailor's cap where the spelling of the name of the ship "Richelieu" has been modified. Displayed in a floating mount, the actual size of the drawing is 4" x 6." Matted and framed behind glass in an ebonized frame measuring 7.875" x 9.875" x .75" overall. Expected surface wear to the frame including isolated chips. Not examined out of the frame.

The drawing, meticulously executed in pen and ink, depicts two French sailors from the French battleship "Richelieu" detained on Ellis Island. The sailors, wearing bell-bottomed pants and jaunty berets, are guarded by a stereotypical New York City cop smoking a cigarette in the background. The cartoon relates to an incident involving the "Richelieu" in the winter of 1943 which underscored the complicated nature of Franco-American relations. Not only were the French split into two camps, the pro-Nazi Vichy and the Allied Free French, but the Free French were jointly controlled by two co-presidents of the French Committee of National Liberation, Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud. The "Richelieu" incident revealed how the Allied war effort could be jeopardized by petty competition and personality differences.

The "Richelieu" was a fast battleship of 37,500 long tons, launched in January 1939 and controlled by Vichy until 1942, when it defected to Free French forces. On February 15, 1943, "Richelieu" arrived in New York City for repairs. 350 crewmen of the mostly pro-Giraud battleship used the opportunity to promptly jump ship and then enlist in pro-de Gaulle vessels. The U.S. government bowed to pressure from Giraud to punish the French sailors as deserters, a declaration which U.S. Secretary of the Navy Henry Knox delivered on March 3, 1943. The fiasco culminated when 12 ex-"Richelieu" sailors were detained on Ellis Island. The tense situation was diffused by April 22, 1943, when Giraud and de Gaulle agreed to terms of judicial review.

Szyk's caption referring to the sailors' refusal to fight Americans may have alluded to the fact that many "Richelieu" deserters believed their officers had Vichy sympathies. It could also have referred to the earliest history of the French battleship, when "Richelieu," under Vichy control, had fired upon Allied shipping at Dakar in French West Africa in 1940. Americans were not present then, but their British allies were.

Arthur Szyk was a talented illustrator who settled permanently in the United States after 1940. He used his technical knowledge of medieval and Renaissance book illumination to create intricate drawings and illustrations commenting on history, spiritual life, and modern politics. He used his illustrations as a platform to lobby for the Allied war effort, Israeli independence, racial equality in the United States, and many other causes. Szyk said, "Art is not my aim, it is my means."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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