Raemaekers - WW1

Louis Raemaekers (1869 - 1956) - some examples of his cartoons used on postcards issued in aid of French and British wounded.

Louis Raemaekers, a Dutch painter and editorial cartoonist for the Amsterdam newspaper De Telegraaf during World War I, was born and grew up in Roermond, Netherlands.

He was trained – and later worked – as a drawing teacher and made landscapes and children's book covers and illustrations in his free time. In 1906 his life took a decisive turn when he accepted the invitation to draw political cartoons for leading Dutch newspapers, first from 1906 to 1909 for the Algemeen Handelsblad and from 1909 onwards for De Telegraaf.

Immediately after the Germans invaded Belgium, Raemaekers became one of their fiercest critics. His graphic cartoons depicted the rule of the German military in Belgium, portrayed the Germans as barbarians and Kaiser Wilhelm II as an ally of Satan.

Raemaekers achieved his greatest successes outside his native country. He left for London in November 1915, where his work was exhibited in the Fine Art Society on Bond Street.  From early 1915 Raemaekers' cartoons had already appeared in British newspapers and magazines. In early 1916 he signed a contract with the Daily Mail and they appeared in this newspaper on a regular basis for the next two years.

Following the end of the First World War, Louis Raemaekers settled in Brussels. He was an advocate of the League of Nations and devoted many sketches and articles to the cause of unity in Europe.

Raemaekers fled to the United States shortly before the start of the Second World War and remained there until 1946, when he returned to Brussels.  After an absence of almost forty years, Raemaekers returned to the Netherlands in 1953.  He died in Scheveningen near The Hague in 1956.

In the summer of 1956, The Times published the obituary of a man who had enjoyed a worldwide reputation during the First World War: ‘Louis Raemaekers, the biting anti-German cartoonist of the 1914-18 War, died on July 26, 1956 at Scheveningen, near The Hague, at the age of 87. It has been said of Raemaekers that he was the one private individual who exercised a real and great influence on the course of the 1914-18 War.’

(Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Raemaekers accessed 25-03-2019)

Postcards

  • PC_Raemaekers_001A Zeppelin’s Triumph - “But Mummy didn’t do anything, did she Daddy?"
  • PC_Raemaekers_001aA Zeppelin’s Triumph
  • PC_Raemaekers_002Bernhardism - Oh, they’ll find excuses for me somehow. Apparently a reference to Friedrich Adam Julius von Bernhardi (22 November 1849 – 11 December 1930), a Prussian general and military historian. As a militarist, he is perhaps best known for his bellicose book “Deutschland und der Nächste Krieg” (Germany and the Next War), printed in 1911. Describing war as a "divine business", he proposed that Germany should pursue an aggressive stance and ignore treaties.
  • PC_Raemaekers_003Before the Shooting - Everything in good order! Women to the left.
  • PC_Raemaekers_004After the Lusitania - Herod’s Nightmare
  • PC_Raemaekers_005The Wealth of Flanders - 480 million war tax and soup thrown in.
  • PC_Raemaekers_006The Civilising War - “Culture” has passed through here.
  • PC_Raemaekers_007The Belgian Atrocities - The Belgian Committee and the Secret of Blue Beard.
  • PC_Raemaekers_008The Hostages - The Massacre of the Innocents.
  • PC_Raemaekers_009The Beauties of War.
  • PC_Raemaekers_010War in the 20th Century.
  • PC_Raemaekers_011Cross-Land, Cross-land über alles! - Which is Father’s?
  • PC_Raemaekers_012Seduction - Ain’t I a lovable fellow?
  • PC_Raemaekers_013The Latin Sisters.
  • PC_Raemaekers_014Perfectly - Whoever does not like us is bought by the other side.
  • PC_Raemaekers_015The Stones bear witness - He is the Violator.
  • PC_Raemaekers_016The Awakening - I was just dreaming it had not happened.
  • PC_Raemaekers_017Europe operated on by Prussianism - Let us finish this job, my child, it's for her good.
  • PC_Raemaekers_018The Morality of the Neutrals - Why haven’t they let us have our way with her since we’re ready to pay.
  • PC_Raemaekers_019Scene in the Invaded Provinces.
  • PC_Raemaekers_020Exhumation of the Aferschot Martyrs.
  • PC_Raemaekers_021Annexation? - After all I must get something for my trouble.
  • PC_Raemaekers_022In Serbia - And now as in Belgium.
  • PC_Raemaekers_023The Little Victims of the Lusitania.
  • PC_Raemaekers_024Gas - Slow Asphyxiation.
  • PC_Raemaekers_025Burning Liquids - “Culture” again.
  • PC_Raemaekers_026Burning liquids - Hallo William, have you thanked that old pal of yours the Almighty for this last success?
  • PC_Raemaekers_027Imperial Words - I crush all that stand in my way.
  • PC_Raemaekers_028The Universal Conscience - “He who is not against us is with us."
  • PC_Raemaekers_029“May God punish Italy!"
  • PC_Raemaekers_030Neutral Pacifists - Ho! I will set you free in spite of yourselves.
  • PC_Raemaekers_031Satisfaction - Peace reigns in Dinant.
  • PC_Raemaekers_032The Letter - We continue to progress! Our gravestones stretch as far as the sea.
  • PC_Raemaekers_033The Holocaust - The sacrifice which is not agreeable to the Lord.
  • PC_Raemaekers_034Luther-Liebknecht before Parliament - “It is a war of rapine! Here I stand, I cannot otherwise.
  • PC_Raemaekers_035The Yellow Book - Unmasked.
  • PC_Raemaekers_036Franc-Tireur? - It’s little Toinette - shot as a “franc-tireur”.
  • PC_Raemaekers_037Booty for the Conquerors - …it’s important to make room for our culture!
  • PC_Raemaekers_038German Credit - Credit - a soap-ball: it will burst!
  • PC_Raemaekers_039The Associate of Satan Von Bernhardi: “War is as essential as eating and drinking. Satan: What an associate I have there!
  • PC_Raemaekers_040“Black Barbarians” - The Good Samaritans.
  • PC_Raemaekers_041
  • PC_Raemaekers_051
  • PC_Raemaekers_054
  • PC_Raemaekers_058
  • PC_Raemaekers_081Maurice Neumont - For the courageous stand taken by the neutrals faced with Germany’s crimes.
  • PC_Raemaekers_100