Sketch by Helmut Hirsch, 1934

Hirsch, Helmut, 1916-1937 · 1934

In this pencil sketch by Helmut Hirsch, we see a folkloric or even celtic type figure. The figure alludes to Germanic mythological characters such as Sigfried. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, there was a rise in interest in Germanic mythology. However, by the late 1920s, political agendas and movements used Germanic folklore as propaganda tools. This brief sketch gives us insight into how these mythological or folkloric images became part of the everyday psyche in Germany in the early 1930s.