René Goscinny was a French cartoonist, famed for cocreating the comic Astérix le Gaulois. Goscinny was born in Paris and moved with his family to Argentina at a young age, obtaining a degree in fine arts before moving to New York to find work as an illustrator. Returning to Paris, Goscinny was introduced to comic artist Albert Uderzo, with whom he founded the humor magazine Pilote in 1959. Astérix debuted in the first issue and quickly gained widespread popularity. Goscinny also wrote for numerous other French comic strips. In 1967, he was made a Chevalier of Arts and Letters for his contributions to French culture.
This caricature by the Henschel brothers celebrates the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in December 1813. This battle, the final in Napoleon’s “German Campaign,” is also known as the…
The Book of Esther (also known as the Scroll [megillah] of Esther) is read out loud on the holiday of Purim. This example of an illustrated scroll from the Netherlands (shown here with a page of…
[Leidental’s room. Evening. Leidental. One of his fingers is bandaged.]Leidental:[To himself.] At eight fifteen I felt I cannot any more with myself. I had: regulation misery, pain to top…