Rationalization Is On The March!
DER KNÜPPEL COVER BY UNKNOWN ARTIST,
NOT JOHN HEARTFIELD
Although the Der Knüppel Cover (left) is not a work by John Heartfield, it was chosen to illustrate the character of the leftwing satiric publication. Der Knüppel translates to the “The Stick” and was later known as “The Red Stick.” The image of a red stick, representing the KPD (Communist Party), pummeling a cringing Hitler is a good visual representation of how Heartfield and other German artists used humor to minimize the führer’s importance.
Der Knüppel appeared irregularly from 1923 to 1927.
John Heartfield created collages and worked as an editor.