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book (design) story #65

fannina w. halle:
frauen des ostens

europa verlag, zürich, 1938
size: 23 x 15 cm
designer: richard paul lohse

again a jacket design by richard paul lohse (1902-1988), and again a black and white photomontage with an aeroplane and a cloudy sky printed blue (see story 64). the jacket is signed lower right in script. aircraft, symbols of technological progress and of "freedom", are frequent in lohse's designs.

fannina w. halle (1881-1963), a lithuanian-born art historian and sociologist who had studied in vienna, wrote several books about russia. in 1940 halle emigrated to the usa.

this book is about the situation of women in the eastern parts of the soviet union. halle welcomes their liberation from (muslim) traditions. the poem on the page above says: "down with the veil". below a photo of a female pilot.

not surprisingly, fannina halle's books were banned in nazi germany. this edition was published by emil oprecht's europa verlag, zürich.