Leon Israel (Yiddish: לעאָן איזראַעל; December 12, 1887 – January 12, 1955), known under the pseudonym "Lola" (לאָלאַ),[1] was an American artist. Born and raised in Pinsk, he immigrated to the United States in 1905. He worked there as a famous cartoonist and painter.
Leon Israel | |
|---|---|
![](http://wiki.nitrosworld.org/wiki/File:Leon_"Lola"_Israel.png) Portrait from a 1955 obituary | |
| Born | December 12, 1887 Pinsk, Russian Empire |
| Died | January 12, 1955 (aged 67) New York City, United States |
| Signature | |
![](http://wiki.nitrosworld.org/wiki/File:Signature_of_Leon_"Lola"_Israel.svg) | |
Early life
editCareer
editIn 1909 Israel published his first caricature, that of Jacob Gordin, for the weekly magazine Der groyser kundes under his pseudonym "Lola".[2][3] He also illustrated various Yiddish books, and in 1953 he published a picturebook, Di amoliker ist said in bilder (The East Side of Yesteryear in Pictures), which depicts immigrants in Manhattan during the early 20th century.[2][3][4]
Legacy
editAfter his death in 1955, The New York Times produced an obituary of Israel.[3] He was cited by future Jewish-American artist Eli Valley as an influence.[5] The 2020 book How Yiddish Changed America and How America Changed Yiddish, an anthology of American Yiddish literature, describes Israel as a "prolific and talented cartoonist".[6]
Gallery
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"Open for Business – Help Wanted!": A caricature of factory-owners after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, 1911[7]
Lady Peace tries to pull the United States away from the saloon of the war god Mars, an allegory for the World War I, 1915[6]
A Jewish father mourns his sons after World War I, 1918.
Illustration of the Jewish parable of "The Four Sons", 1920
!["Open for Business – Help Wanted!": A caricature of factory-owners after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, 1911](http://wiki.nitrosworld.org/wiki/File:"Open_for_Business_–_Help_Wanted!"_cartoon_by_Leon_Israel,_1911.jpg)
![Lady Peace tries to pull the United States away from the saloon of the war god Mars, an allegory for the World War I, 1915](http://wiki.nitrosworld.org/wiki/File:The_Big_Stick_newspaper_cartoon_by_Leon_Israel_"The_Bitter_Drop".jpg)
![A Jewish father mourns his sons after World War I, 1918.](http://wiki.nitrosworld.org/wiki/File:"On_Decoration_Day"_cartoon_by_Leon_Israel,_1918.jpg)
![Illustration of the Jewish parable of "The Four Sons", 1920](http://wiki.nitrosworld.org/wiki/File:Illustration_of_The_Four_Sons_by_Leon_"Lola"_Israel.jpg)
References
edit- ↑ "לעאָן איזראעל (לאָלאַ), באַרימטער קינסטלער און "פֿאָרווערטס" קארטוניסט, געשטאָרבען". The Forward (in Yiddish). 1955-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-24 – via National Library of Israel.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Fogel, Joshua (1956). "Izrael, Leon". Leksikon Fun Der Nayer Yidisher Literatur. Vol. 1. Congress for Jewish Culture. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "LEON ISRAEL DIES; I CARTOONIST WAS 6'7". The New York Times. 1955-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-24 – via The New York Times Archives.
- 1 2 3 "Leon Israel, Jewish Artist and Cartoonist. Dies; Was 67". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1955-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
- ↑ Lambert, Josh (2022-05-08). "The Jewish Influences of Eli Valley's Visceral Political Cartoons". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
- 1 2 Stavans, Ilan (2020-01-21). How Yiddish Changed America and How America Changed Yiddish. Restless Books. pp. 126–127. ISBN 978-1-63206-263-5.
- ↑ Valley, Eli (2021-03-29). "Bezos in Bessemer". Jewish Currents. Retrieved 2025-01-24.