William Gropper

Born to a poor family living on New York's lower East Side, Gropper (1897-1977) studied art in New York City. He began working as a political cartoonist and illustrator for the New York Tribune and eventurally his social protest caricatures appeared in a wide array of newspaper and journals. He had his first major exhibition at the ACA Galleries in New York in 1936 (with subsequent full-scale exhibitions somewhere in the world almost every year thereafter). The following year he received a Guggenheim Fellowship, with which he created a series of Dust Bowl paintings. An avowed leftist, he worked as the editor of the Yiddish socialist magazing Der Hammer during the 30's. Not unexpectedly, the was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953. A retrospective exhibition of his works traveled throughout the U. S. from 1968-70, and a retrospective of his sketches during 1971.

Der Hammer - 1932
Der Hammer (The Hammer) was a Yiddish 20-30's Socialist (with a strong Communist point of view) magazine that was illustrated by the artist William Gropper. This is a hard bound set of eleven 1932 issues. Nine of the eleven covers are line print images designed by Gropper. (A few of these covers are also available as individual pieces.) The artist was a powerful political cartoonist, and each of his covers is a Socialist/Communist commentary relevant to the early 30's. The magazine issues are all in excellent condition, except that the cover of the April issue has been separated and bound at the back. The cloth binding is standard library with gold embossing on the front cover and spine. The binding has a small gash on the front, and wear on each of the corners and at the top and bottom of the spine. Dimensions: height - 12"; width - 9 1/4" Price: $250.00 info@artatthecenter.com		Click image to enlarge

Yiddish magazine cover
This is another cover from the 1932 issues of the Yiddish socialist magazine, Der Hammer (The Hammer). This cover from August is a caricature of the rich armaments industrialist who sees the world through his cannons. The sheet (about 11 5/8" x 8 3/4") is in excellent condition. Price: $90.00 info@artatthecenter.com		Click image to enlarge

Yiddish magazine cover
Der Hammer (The Hammer) was a Yiddish 30's socialist (with a strong communist point of view) magazine that was edited and illustrated by the artist William Gropper. This November, 1932 image apparently represents a happy Communist worker who may have met his quota. The cover, a line print signed by Gropper on the plate, is in remarkably fresh condition, although the sheet (11 3/4" x 8 7/8") has been trimmed into the image on right and left sides.These covers are not usually found in such good condition. Price: $90.00 info@artatthecenter.com		Click image to enlarge

Yiddish magazine cover
This October, 1932 cover from the magazine Der Hammer (The Hammer), shows workers of all shades, and their children, voting for the Communist Party. This image by Gropper is signed in the plate by the artist. The sheet is approx. 11 3/4" x 8 3/4" and may have been trimmed into the image on the left side. Otherwise, it is in excellent condition. Price: $90.00 info@artatthecenter.com		Click image to enlarge