"My album" - an illustration notebook of a girl named...
"My album" - an illustration notebook of a girl named Miriam for the victory of the Allies in World War II. France, early 1940s
Mon Album - "My Album" - "I am a girl with brown hair... I painted pictures of the people I hear about around me, and wrote their stories... I hope you enjoy... Miriam... Not everything is rosy in war, but the Allies will win it and then it will end". A hand-drawn and painted notebook created by a young French girl named Miriam during World War II. In the notebook are graceful illustrations of Allied leaders and generals in their war against Nazi Germany, with a hand drawn illustration for each leader and on the adjacent page she briefly writes about his personality and role in the campaign against Nazi Germany, the entire notebook written by Miriam in a patriotic spirit wishing for Allied victory and the imminent defeat of Nazi Germany. France, early 1940s. Ink and watercolors. French.
Every two pages of the notebook are dedicated to a different Allied leader, with Miriam describing their unique character and role in bringing Allied victory over Nazi Germany. The figures included are: Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, General de Gaulle, Chinese General Chiang Kai-shek, French political leader and general Henri Giraud, General Montgomery, General Eisenhower, French General Philippe Leclerc, Soviet general Georgy Zhukov, and also a few pages at the end of the notebook about the soldiers themselves.
For example, alongside her drawing of Winston Churchill she writes: "He is Britain’s prime minister and looks like a big baby... Sometimes he flies his own plane... He speaks French with an English accent but very well... The English love him very much because he is a prime minister who never lied to them... When Churchill speaks to them about victory they know victory is certain". Alongside her painting of Franklin Roosevelt with the Statue of Liberty in the background she writes: "He is the president of the United States of America. He smiles and smokes cigarettes in a long cigarette holder... He is the one who runs the American government and also takes care of all the war plans, he is the one who ordered all the giant American factories that used to make cars and refrigerators to stop producing anything other than cannons, planes, boats, guns and tanks with which the Allied soldiers achieve victory". About Stalin she writes: "He resides in Moscow in the Kremlin... He commands the entire Red Army which killed more Germans than any other army... No sacrifice seemed too big for the Russians to defend their beautiful country..."
About General de Gaulle, Miriam writes: "...he is the one who saved France's honor, because initially France and England joined together to defeat the Germans who wanted to be the masters of Europe. But in 1940 the dishonest people who ruled France signed an armistice with Germany. They gave the Germans control over all of France. It was terrible and the world was stunned that such a thing could happen... But General de Gaulle declared that the French would not abandon their allies and that they would expel the Germans from France. Honor to our country! Wherever they were, the French rallied for freedom...". About British General Montgomery, Miriam describes how he succeeded in defeating the German armies in North Africa: "He crushed them completely within just 13 days...They expelled the Germans from Africa forever...".
Regarding General Eisenhower, she describes his victories on various fronts and writes: "I'm certain it will continue this way until the Germans are completely defeated...", and about the other leaders she details each one's unique attributes and role in bringing Allied victory over Nazi Germany.
The last pages of the notebook are dedicated to the Allied soldiers themselves: "The soldiers wage war on land against the Germans... They go to see if Germans are still hiding in abandoned houses, and they take them prisoner. Meanwhile young girls in Khaki take the wounded to hospitals. And they also cook for the soldiers. Not everything is rosy in war, but the Allies will win it and then it will end". One page is dedicated to sailors, about whom she writes: "The sailors wage war at sea with battleships and destroyers... The Germans try to sink those Allied ships with submarines, but the Allied navy is very strong and defeats almost all the German submarines... In short, everyone in the Allied countries works for victory. That's good, and I know that in the occupied countries they also work for the Allies. That's very good!"
The last two pages she dedicated to "children", alongside illustrations of children helping at home and boys working in the fields she writes: "The children went out to work because the mothers are in factories... The grownups bear the responsibility for victory, but we know very well that the future depends on the children, and the world can count on them. I know that."
We don't know specifics about Miriam's identity but it is clear from her words she was a particularly intelligent and talented young girl who understood well the political realities in Europe during the war.
[32] handwritten and illustrated pages. 14 cm. Very good condition.
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"My album" - an illustration notebook of a girl named Miriam for the victory of the Allies in World War II. France, early 1940s
Mon Album - "My Album" - "I am a girl with brown hair... I painted pictures of the people I hear about around me, and wrote their stories... I hope you enjoy... Miriam... Not everything is rosy in war, but the Allies will win it and then it will end". A hand-drawn and painted notebook created by a young French girl named Miriam during World War II. In the notebook are graceful illustrations of Allied leaders and generals in their war against Nazi Germany, with a hand drawn illustration for each leader and on the adjacent page she briefly writes about his personality and role in the campaign against Nazi Germany, the entire notebook written by Miriam in a patriotic spirit wishing for Allied victory and the imminent defeat of Nazi Germany. France, early 1940s. Ink and watercolors. French.
Every two pages of the notebook are dedicated to a different Allied leader, with Miriam describing their unique character and role in bringing Allied victory over Nazi Germany. The figures included are: Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, General de Gaulle, Chinese General Chiang Kai-shek, French political leader and general Henri Giraud, General Montgomery, General Eisenhower, French General Philippe Leclerc, Soviet general Georgy Zhukov, and also a few pages at the end of the notebook about the soldiers themselves.
For example, alongside her drawing of Winston Churchill she writes: "He is Britain’s prime minister and looks like a big baby... Sometimes he flies his own plane... He speaks French with an English accent but very well... The English love him very much because he is a prime minister who never lied to them... When Churchill speaks to them about victory they know victory is certain". Alongside her painting of Franklin Roosevelt with the Statue of Liberty in the background she writes: "He is the president of the United States of America. He smiles and smokes cigarettes in a long cigarette holder... He is the one who runs the American government and also takes care of all the war plans, he is the one who ordered all the giant American factories that used to make cars and refrigerators to stop producing anything other than cannons, planes, boats, guns and tanks with which the Allied soldiers achieve victory". About Stalin she writes: "He resides in Moscow in the Kremlin... He commands the entire Red Army which killed more Germans than any other army... No sacrifice seemed too big for the Russians to defend their beautiful country..."
About General de Gaulle, Miriam writes: "...he is the one who saved France's honor, because initially France and England joined together to defeat the Germans who wanted to be the masters of Europe. But in 1940 the dishonest people who ruled France signed an armistice with Germany. They gave the Germans control over all of France. It was terrible and the world was stunned that such a thing could happen... But General de Gaulle declared that the French would not abandon their allies and that they would expel the Germans from France. Honor to our country! Wherever they were, the French rallied for freedom...". About British General Montgomery, Miriam describes how he succeeded in defeating the German armies in North Africa: "He crushed them completely within just 13 days...They expelled the Germans from Africa forever...".
Regarding General Eisenhower, she describes his victories on various fronts and writes: "I'm certain it will continue this way until the Germans are completely defeated...", and about the other leaders she details each one's unique attributes and role in bringing Allied victory over Nazi Germany.
The last pages of the notebook are dedicated to the Allied soldiers themselves: "The soldiers wage war on land against the Germans... They go to see if Germans are still hiding in abandoned houses, and they take them prisoner. Meanwhile young girls in Khaki take the wounded to hospitals. And they also cook for the soldiers. Not everything is rosy in war, but the Allies will win it and then it will end". One page is dedicated to sailors, about whom she writes: "The sailors wage war at sea with battleships and destroyers... The Germans try to sink those Allied ships with submarines, but the Allied navy is very strong and defeats almost all the German submarines... In short, everyone in the Allied countries works for victory. That's good, and I know that in the occupied countries they also work for the Allies. That's very good!"
The last two pages she dedicated to "children", alongside illustrations of children helping at home and boys working in the fields she writes: "The children went out to work because the mothers are in factories... The grownups bear the responsibility for victory, but we know very well that the future depends on the children, and the world can count on them. I know that."
We don't know specifics about Miriam's identity but it is clear from her words she was a particularly intelligent and talented young girl who understood well the political realities in Europe during the war.
[32] handwritten and illustrated pages. 14 cm. Very good condition.
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Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
