Die Besitzkröten (Possession Toads) from Die Räuber (The Robber) Act II, scene 2
Entry/Object ID
2026.09.154
Description
Three rich bald men sit around a table with money and jewels strewn about in the foreground. All express deep contempt. One looks behind to look upon the poor and sick flanked by two soldiers. He grasps onto his money as the other two smoke cigars. The man to the left wears a swastika on his tie. The background shows a bleak industrial landscape almost serving as a wall to keep the people in.
Type of Print
Photolithograph
Artwork Details
Medium
ink, Paper
Acquisition
Accession
2026.09
Source or Donor
Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections
Acquisition Method
Transfer
Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
George Grosz
Role
Artist
Manufacturer
Malik-Verlag
Date made
circa 1922
Time Period
20th Century
Place
City
Berlin
* Untyped Place
Germany
Edition
Edition Size
100
Notes
Unnumbered edition
Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Inscription, Title
Location
lower left below plate
Transcription
Besitzkröten
2
Language
German
Material/Technique
Pencil, Written
Type
Signature
Location
lower right below plate
Transcription
Grosz
Material/Technique
Pencil, Written
Type
Watermark
Location
repeating
Transcription
Ferd Flinsch [bat over box or book]
Material/Technique
Stamped
Notes
paper watermark
Dimensions
Dimension Description
Sheet
Height
24-7/8 in
Width
18-1/4 in
Provenance
Notes
Professors Edward Akeley (1894-1984) and Anna Akeley (1904-2004), West Lafayette, Indiana; donated to Purdue University Archives; transferred to Purdue University Galleries
Exhibition
Drawing Lines: The Political Art of Ward Sutton (2024)
