he Plagues - the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Fierce antisemitic work. Dusseldorf, 1884 - first edition

he Plagues - the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Fierce antisemitic work. Dusseldorf, 1884 - first edition

Die Plagen. 3te aegyptischen Humoreske. Aufgeschrieben und abgemalt bei dem Auszuge der Juden aus Aegypten - "The Plagues, Third Egyptian Humoresque. Written and depicted during the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt", by German caricature artist Carl Maria Seyppel (1847-1913) published by Felix Bagel - Düsseldorf 1884 - First edition - Rare and fierce antisemitic publication. German.

An early antisemitic work portraying Jews as a greedy nation that the Egyptians wish to expel due to the economic harm they cause Egypt, but the Jews insist on remaining to amass Egyptian wealth for themselves. The plagues of Egypt are inflicted on the Jews to force them to leave, until finally they depart without forgetting to take the silver and gold to the Promised Land. All the pages of the "haggadah" are filled with exaggerated illustrations depicting the Jew with stereotypical features - a big nose, contorted face, bloodlust and greed, cunningness, doing everything solely for financial motives. The last page features an illustration of a wealthy Jewish man in 19th century clothing, meant to convey the message that since the Exodus, the Jews then and the Jews of today are the same and do everything to enrich themselves at others' expense.

The book's design in a thick, clumsy cloth cover, the deliberately irregular page edges cut, as well as the inscription on the page after the title page showing a pharaoh holding a sign reading "Dusseldorf Excavation Works", is meant to create the impression of an ancient artifact found in an Egyptian dig. The illustrator Carl Maria Seyppel is referred to on the title page as "Court Painter and Poet in Honor of His Majesty King Rhampsinit III" - as if this is the third volume in the Egyptian mummy trilogy. All with the aim of creating the feeling as if it were an ancient book describing the "truth" about the Jews.

42 p. 29 cm, original cloth binding. Good condition.