Propaganda satirical postcard "Elephant and booger", 1939.

The rarest original Soviet propaganda postcard from the pre-war period in excellent collector's condition. The publication was published in 1939 by the State Publishing House Iskusstvo and is an outstanding monument to Soviet political satire of the Stalin era, reflecting the acute international crisis in Eastern Europe on the eve of World War II.

On the front side, at the top of the card, there is an extensive official quote from the General Secretary of the Central Committee. I. V. Stalin's VKP (b) from his report at the historic XVIII Party Congress in March 1939, devoted to geopolitical speculations around Transcarpathia:

"...isn't it clear that it is ridiculous and stupid to talk seriously about the annexation of Soviet Ukraine to the so-called Carpathian Ukraine? Just think about it. A booger came to the elephant and said to him, with his hands on his hips: "Oh, you, my brother, how I feel sorry for you… You live without landlords, without capitalists, without national oppression, without fascist bosses, what kind of life is this...I look at you and I can't help but notice—there's no salvation for you except to join me… Well, so be it, I allow you to annex your small territory to my vast territory..." (From the report of I. V. Stalin at the XVIII Congress of the CPSU (b))."

The graphic plot brilliantly visualizes the Stalinist metaphor and is performed by the legendary trio of Soviet cartoonists — Kukryniks in their recognizable expressive and grotesque manner. The monumental leg of the Soviet "peaceful elephant" is depicted, at the foot of which a tiny cartoon "booger" in a Fascist-style military uniform runs in panic. On the left, an ironic poetic text by the poet Mikhail Kossovsky is printed in green font.:

"The booger was talking to the elephant:
"Give me your territory!"
You will be the servant, I will be the mistress.,
You will not be lost with me, with a bug.
He stands calm and strong,
Looking with a grin, a peaceful elephant.
But if only he sneezes…
No one will find a bug!"

The reverse side is clean, has not passed through the mail, without traces of household pollution, ink inscriptions, blots or postmarks. The design includes a standard "Where To" address grid. / To whom" and the frame "For the stamp". The large heading "Postcard" is duplicated below in the international Esperanto language — "POŜTA KARTO". The name of the publishing house is located in the upper left corner.

In the lower part, under the dividing line, the full publishing and typographic data identical to other issues of this series are written in small print: "Elephant and Booger". Hood. Kukryniksy, Verse. Kossovsky, Edited By N. Bolberg, Complete. Glavlita No. A-10648, "Art" No. 6238, circulation 50,000 copies, order No. 31, lithograph of the publishing house "Art", Moscow, Dmitrovsky, 9, price 15 kopecks. The small limited edition of 50,000 copies significantly increases the collectible rarity of this lot.

This postcard is the most important document of the era, demonstrating the reaction of the USSR to the collapse of Czechoslovakia and the creation of puppet pro—fascist regimes in the spring of 1939. Due to the fragility of the paper and the cleaning of library collections in the post-war years, clean copies of this lithograph have practically not been preserved. A real find for serious collectors of Soviet political posters, Stalinist agitation and pre-war philocarty.

Excellent collectible preservation for a paper artifact from the pre-war era. The postcard has no creases, tears, traces of wetting or restoration. The thick pre-war paper has retained its smooth texture and the natural light shade of the time (natural patina), pleasant to the eye. All the colors of the lithography on the front and the fonts on the back remained perfectly clear and contrasting. A completely original collector's item with no hidden defects.

We recommend it!