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Carriers of the New Black Plague
1938-04-07
- Classification
- Photograph
- Museum
- Wikimedia Commons
- Credit line
- https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/56686jc/carriers-of-the-new-black-plague-cotton
- Rights
- Public domain, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its subject is for older viewers (war, death, the Passion, drink or the like). How works are placed
About this work
Carriers of the New Black Plague, 1938. Well preserved example of the original artwork for this provocative satirical pictorial map, addressing the varying levels of control of free speech exercised around the world, drawn by William Henry Cotton.
The illustration by Cotton, which served as the central double-page spread in the inaugural issue of Ken magazine, issued in April 1938, stands as a notable artifact of pre-World War II American culture. Ken magazine, recognized for its anti-Fascist stance, chose this piece for its powerful political commentary. The artwork, replicated without notable alterations in the design from the maquette to the final print, is nearly double the size of the its magazine counterpart. It employs satire to cast a critical eye on the global political landscape of the era, with a focus on the exaggerated presence of dictators.
The exaggerated depictions serve as a form of political satire, intended to critique and draw attention to the authoritarian regimes that were gaining power at the time. This artistic choice underscores the urgency and the heightened political concerns of the era, reflecting the widespread apprehension about the future course…
