Top of page

Photo, Print, Drawing Why Don't You Use Both Your Hands for Defending Yourself? It's Impossible! My Left Hand is for My People!. Perché non adoperi le due mani per difenderti?...Impossibile!... La sinistra è pel mio popolo!

View Enlarged Image

About this Item

Title

  • Why Don't You Use Both Your Hands for Defending Yourself? It's Impossible! My Left Hand is for My People!.

Other Title

  • Perché non adoperi le due mani per difenderti?...Impossibile!... La sinistra è pel mio popolo!

Summary

  • This satirical watercolor by the Italian artist Raffaello Jonni is part of a series of 79 original drawings by Jonni preserved at the Alessandrina Library in Rome. The image shows the ruling monarchs of Italy's two main enemies in World War I, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary. Franz Josef holds a sword in one hand and a rope connected to a gibbet in the other. In the background, a member of an Italian rifle regiment is seen waving an Italian flag and bravely charging at the two emperors. The portrait of the Austrian ruler reflects and aims to further reinforce the portrayal of him in Italian propaganda as both weak and an oppressor of his own people. In such propaganda, Franz Josef was often called l'Impiccatore (The Hangman).

Names

  • Jonni, Raffaello Artist.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1916.

Headings

  • -  Austria
  • -  Germany
  • -  Hungary
  • -  Italy
  • -  1916
  • -  Capital punishment
  • -  Caricatures and cartoons
  • -  Flags
  • -  Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, 1830-1916
  • -  Hanging
  • -  Military uniforms
  • -  Satires (Visual works)
  • -  Soliders
  • -  Swords
  • -  War posters
  • -  William II, German Emperor, 1859-1941
  • -  World War, 1914-1918

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 drawing : watercolor and ink ; 50 x 40 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Alessandrina Library.
  • -  Content in Italian.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • World War I

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670949

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Jonni, Raffaello Artist. Why Don't You Use Both Your Hands for Defending Yourself? It's Impossible! My Left Hand is for My People!. Hungary Germany Italy Austria, 1916. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670949/.

APA citation style:

Jonni, R. A. (1916) Why Don't You Use Both Your Hands for Defending Yourself? It's Impossible! My Left Hand is for My People!. Hungary Germany Italy Austria, 1916. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670949/.

MLA citation style:

Jonni, Raffaello Artist. Why Don't You Use Both Your Hands for Defending Yourself? It's Impossible! My Left Hand is for My People!. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670949/>.