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Catalogue information
LastDodo number
5626183
Area
Drawings / paintings
Title
U.S. Reds Trial
Artist
Art object
Art Movement / style
Genre
Material
Technique used
Colouring
Dimensions
36 x 29 cm
Series / hero
Collection / set
Number
Addition to number
Year
1949
Country
Language
Details
Original editorial cartoon on card in pen, ink and crayon, 1949, syndicated to a number of newspapers, shows a ‘Communist’ doing a cossack dance on a court bench which is described as ‘Communist propagandistic exhibitionism’. In 1949 leaders of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) were accused of violating the Smith Act, a statute which imposed penalties on those who advocated violent overthrow of the government. The reference to exhibitionism is related to the fact that the defence frequently antagonized the judge and prosecution, and five defendants were jailed for contempt of court because they disrupted the proceedings. After a ten-month trial the jury found all 11 defendants guilty and the judge sentenced them to terms of up to five years in federal prison, further sentencing all five defense attorneys to imprisonment for contempt of court. Card size 36 x 29 cm (14 x 11.5 inch), image size 31 x 26 cm, signed lower right with nine zeros as underline. In very good condition.