LADY WHO KEPT HER PROMISE Statue of Liberty HANS BENDIX

 

 

For those who collect anything related to the Statue of Liberty, however peripherally, or American Artists Group publications or prints, or works by or relating to the Danish artist/illustrator/political cartoonist Hans Bendix (1898-1984), or titles celebrating peace, liberty, the immigrant's experience, Manhattan / New York City, and the United States during wartime -- specifically, the era of World War II -- up for auction is a charming, slender, 32-page illustrated book -- I'm pretty sure it's an unstated first edition -- featuring text and line drawings by Bendix, who himself left Copenhagen, where he was a cartoonist for a Labor newspaper, when the Germans invaded his home country. He journeyed to the United States, presumably arriving in New York City sometime in or around 1940 (FYI, Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway began on 9 April 1940).

 

Measuring approximately 4-3/4 inches by 6-3/4 inches (12 x 17 cm), the book was published by the American Artists Group, New York, in 1941 and has an introduction by Francis Hackett (died 1962), an Irish author and critic who lived for some years in Denmark (he wrote a book in 1940 called I Chose Denmark and was married to a Danish woman, the writer Signe Toksvig) and during the war spent time in the United States. Essentially, this is a simple story -- a fable for adults, really (a couple of the illustrations are a bit risque / racy) -- about the author's move to the United States in order to be free. 

 

Here's a bit of information on the publisher, American Artists Group (from the Web site http://www.artoftheprint.com), which produced small artists' monographs, cards, and, most significantly, limited-edition prints, as well as, presumably, little gift / novelty titles such as the one I'm selling:

The American Artists Group of New York was one of the most interesting experiments of the Depression era. Founded in 1934, its aim was to produce original prints (the large majority being either lithographs or woodcuts) at prices that could be afforded during these difficult economic times. By 1938 this publisher had issued well over one hundred prints by such great artists as Emil Ganso, Alan Lewis, Warren Newcombe, Benton Spruance, Leo Meissner, Barbara Latham and Julius Lankes. Most were published in unsigned, unlimited editions at the price of $2.75 each. Alas, this small price was still out of the reach of most and A.A.G. editions rarely exceeded three hundred impressions and many were printed in editions of less than one hundred. In fact, many A.A.G. prints were issued in smaller editions than signed and numbered impressions.

The copyright page of the book I'm selling has printed on it: "ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / Copyright, 1941 by Hans Bendix / Published by the American Artists Group, Inc. / New York / PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA".

 

And Hackett's full introduction, covering three pages, reads:

Hans Bendix may not know it, but he had true compatriots in the New York of the early 1900's--Bellows and Luks, Glackens and the rest of those spirited vigilantes, men who had caught the spark of Daumier and Gavarni, and who themselves lighted a torch on the banks of the Hudson. They could see something that was invisible in other circles, they could see peuple. Like Bendix himself, they had learnt quite a little on the Left Bank, spiritually tutored in Paris. This was before the blood-letting began, before there was thunder over Mexico and darkness at noon. It was still an era in which there was sparkle in the air, and grace in the toughest sluggers by Bellows.

 

But there's no good in looking for a Rivera's brutal solemnity in a man who is not a raw-meat radical. Bendix was under no revolutionary cloud in Copenhagen. He was a scion of an old family there. Returning from Paris as a dilettante, he was happy, under change of fortune, to become a man at the bench. And his bench was in front of his drawing-board as the cartoonist of Copenhagen's labor daily and government organ, the Social-Demokraten.

 

The liberty that Bendix had exercised and preserved as the artist of a Labor newspaper was naturally dependent on Denmark's freedom; the freedom of Social-Demokraten was itself a part of a civilized system, and it was quenched when Germany descended on Denmark. Hence Bendix and his family are in America.

 

But he is young. His first emotions at the discovery of a New World are portrayed in the following pages They are feelings of gratitude and exaltation. Like a survivor who reaches dry land he doesn't care whether it is wet or not! Something wells up in his heart that only an artist can give expression to. It is almost painful gladness, the rediscovery of the simplest causes for rejoicing, the infinite luxury of Peace, the infinite savor of bread and butter.

 

Well, Mr. Tusind Tak (Mr. Thousand Thanks), we're glad to have you. America has its own troubles and preoccupations. But you come with serene and tolerant Copenhagen in your eyes, and the glamor of the Left Bank still in your veins. You'll find in America a thousand themes, a myriad peuple, awaiting your suave, tender and illuminating touch. Move up, gentlemen; have a seat, Mr. Bendix.

The book -- which does not come with a dust jacket (I don't think it originally did, but I'm not absolutely sure of this) -- has a hard board cover sheathed with blue paper printed with a wreath-strewn head of a very humanized looking Statue of Liberty, with the titling "The Lady / who kept her promise / by HANS BENDIX / Introduction by FRANCIS HACKETT".  There's no titling on the spine or back board.

 

In terms of condition, the book's cover is corner-bumped, edgeworn, and damaged a bit at the top and tail of the spine. Therre's very minor spotting on the blue paper cover. Inside, the pictorial endpapers -- both the same, and both featuring a blue-on-white drawing by Bendix signed and titled "Twilight Central Park / Bendix / -41" on the lower right (see photo of rear endpapers) -- echo a black-and-white illustration from inside the book (not pictured). The pages are all tightly bound to the spine, with no loosening whatsoever, and all the edges are smooth-cut and uncolored. There is some staining on the side edge, however, and you can see that this brown spot has migrated a bit onto the edge of some of the pages (the spread showing the skiers carrying their equipment on a right-hand page shows the spot best). But the spot is only around the edges, which also show some natural age-toning -- as does most of the paper in general, I think (though overall it looks pretty good). There's no major damage anywhere that I can see, only a bit of spotting, rubbing, and smudging in a few places within. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with it to point out: no page losses, tears, bends, creases, pen or pencil writing, underlining, highlighting, scribbling, foxing, or the like. The book is a bit musty smelling if you hold it up close to your nose, but there's no smoky odor to it. The book is not an ex-library copy, and there's no bookplate or name of a former owner on it. It really is a wonderful little item that would make a perfect holiday gift for that special someone -- maybe someone who lived during the 1940s in the United States, possibly coming over here during that period from Europe. Anyone who appreciates freedom and liberty here can appreciate it -- and the story told within, which I'll quote in full here (since it really is so short, the drawings taking up much more space than the text):

It was the night before Christmas over there. Mr. Tusind Tak was about to light his tree.

 

Suddenly a terrible storm stirred up the whole atmosphere of peace and Christmas, blew out the lights, wrecked the houses, tore up trees and hurt and scared people out of their wits.

 

Mr. Tusind Tak was lifted by the wind and carried away.

 

The sun was shining when he recovered the use of his senses. He felt that he was int he shadow of something very big. He looked up and discovered an enormous lady. She smiled when she saw how bewildered he looked and said "Don't be afraid. You'll find everything here you used to like in your old place."

 

Mr. Tusind Tak went inside.

 

At first sight Mr. Tusind Tak was terrified by what he met -- but it was only skiing enthusiasts going away for a weekend.

 

And after a while he realized there was no reason to be scared by the helmets he saw --

although there was a general feeling for uniforms.

 

How strange! Buses were running. Apparently they still have gasoline he thought.

 

And there was no blackout. In the twilight he would delight himself by watching the lovely patron angel of the city putting a little star behind the millions of windows which reached into heaven. One after another and simultaneously they were all lit.

 

He was getting real coffee, not "ersatz." He had mountains of sandwiches and ice cream sodas with lots of whipped cream whirled into them so they would look like a whole wash day.

 

Grapefruits could be had all year round -- and cigarettes everywhere. [NOTE: This spread, which I've included a photo of, is a bit bawdy, since the image on the left shows two grapefruits being held by a pretty lady up to her chest, so that the fruit look like swelling breasts -- a sign to her right reads, somewhat suggestively, "SPRING CHICKEN / LOOSE PORK / 25 cents" -- while the cigarette girl on the right, well, she has her own, natural full breasts (as well as a strap around her neck to which a box at her waist is full of cigarettes and "Habanas" that she's selling).]

 

There was freedom of expression. -- and freedom from fear. [NOTE: Here on this spread you see men and women walking in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, three of them wearing sandwich-board / signs reading "Mr. President DO IT NOW -- as I tell you" and "DOWN with YOU up with ME!" and "Don't be soft Mr. President", while on the right-hand page a little girl gently touches the snout of a policeman's horse in Manhattan, with a theater marquee reading "ASTOR / Major Barbara / by / Bernard Shaw" overhead.]

 

In the streets all kinds of people lived together without waging war on one another. And there was freedom of worship. [NOTE: As you can see in the photo I've uploaded of this spread, you see a Star of David-surmounted synagogue / temple, a steepled Christian church, and a crescent-moon-topped mosque in the drawing on the right, while in front mill about, among others, an Asian couple, a man with a fez, a veiled woman and a man in a turban, and African / African-American people.]

 

So Mr. Tusind Tak said to himself: "What a nice place!"

 

It was Christmas again and he went to Bedloe's Island and told the nice lady -- the hostess of the house apparently -- that he loved her. She would have nothing of him though, if he was going to cling to his mother's apron strings. But Mr. Tusind Tak had made up his mind. He wanted to stay with her.

 

And with her he would do his bit to defend and --

 

to bless all the world with liberty the way it does America.

This hard-to-find, and quite collectible, holiday fable for adults -- a classic, timeless paean to New York, America, liberty, the Statue of Liberty, freedom of speech, and all the things people around the world love and strive to have, wherever they live -- by the Danish artist Hans Bendix is being sold AS IS, as described above. I believe I am setting a very reasonable starting price for this lovely global story for all seasons, a nearly 70-year-old tale of peace that resonates as much today as it did during the wartime of 1941, and there is NO RESERVE. 

 

Shipping and handling: $4 to U.S. addresses (first class mail) and $5 to Canada and $8 elsewhere (the latter 2 first class international). Note that due to eBay's strict new policy, I ACCEPT PAYPAL ONLY FROM ALL BUYERS, both in the U.S. and abroad. If you would like the book sent to you more quickly, either by priority or express mail, charges will be extra, so please contact me beforehand, and I'll get back to you with rates and will then adjust the amount on the final invoice accordingly.

The book will be sent to you within 1 week / 5 business days upon receipt of payment (that is, when PayPal informs me that your payment has been posted to or otherwise cleared in my account).

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact me with an explanation and I will refund your money -- less shipping and handling and my eBay and PayPal fees -- once the book is back in my possession and is in the same condition in which it was sent to you.

I will combine items for shipping at a discount; please indicate to me upon winning the first item(s) if you intend to bid on or buy another item of mine listed on eBay.

If you are the winner of this item, PAYMENT IS EXPECTED WITHIN ONE WEEK (7 DAYS) FROM THE END OF AUCTION. If you cannot pay within this time frame, please contact me asap so we can work something out. I'm very flexible and understanding, but I would appreciate communication from you one way or another.

Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions about this lovely little holiday / gift / novelty book from 1941 written and illustrated by the Dane Hans Bendix and published by the American Artists Group.