5 color posters, in a series. 13½x8¾". Persian/Farsi text on each. Including (with the loose English translation of text): "On Zohhak's shoulders by magic two serpents grew, and destruction came forth from that man."; "Secret became the law of wise men, and the desires of mad men became disseminated. The hand of administration he came long for an evil purpose, goodness found no graceful expression."; Thus he saw that from the palace of the Emperor, three warriors suddenly came forward."; "He cried and raised his hand... 'My sharah I am Kava...for justice. There must be an end to aggression..."; "Strongly he secured his two hands...so that his fetters could not be broken even by a fierce elephant."
“KEM” was the pseudonym of British artist Kimon Evan Marengo (1904-1988), Egyptian-born and Oxford-educated, who produced some 3000 anti-Nazi propaganda drawings for the British Ministry of Information during World War II. His fluency in both European and Middle Eastern languages made his art work especially useful for wartime distribution in Algeria, Morocco, Egypt - and Iran, where fear of German influence had prompted British and Russian occupation of the oil-rich country. These five posters tell the story of Hitler, by adapting it to the five scenes from the Shahnameh of Ferdowski. Hitler is depicted as the mythical figure Zahak, an evil king who had two snakes (drawn here with the faces of Mussolini and Tojo) growing out of his shoulders. The Imperial War Museum holds copies of five of Kem’s Persian posters.
Condition:
Light chipping and several small tears at edges, some yellowing to edges; the last poster with small hole affecting top part of image, and a small chip at bottom corner; very good.