5 February 2025 press release

The German National Library’s German Exile Archive 1933–1945 is delighted to add the estate and art archive of Emil Stumpp to its collection. Stumpp was one of the Weimar Republic’s leading press artists. Between 1925 and 1933, he drew for publications such as the Berliner Illustrierte, Berliner Morgenpost, Berliner Tageblatt, Deutsche Monatshefte, Gartenlaube, Sport im Bild and Vorwärts. His main client was the Dortmunder Generalanzeiger. Demand for his distinctive portraits of leading figures in the fields of politics, science and art was particularly high.

The famous names portrayed by Emil Stumpp included Franklin D. Roosevelt, Austin Chamberlain, Aristide Briand, Heinrich Brüning, Otto Braun, Konrad Adenauer, Käthe Kollwitz, Erich Kästner, Vicki Baum, Thomas Mann, Otto Dix, Albert Einstein and Alfred Döblin. Stumpp’s repertoire also encompassed scenes in public life, including major sporting events such as cycle races or tennis matches. At a time in which hand-drawn images still stood on an equal footing with photographs, Stumpp travelled far and wide to find suitable subjects. George Grosz aptly described him as a “globe-trotting portrait artist”.

Stumpp drew his portraits in charcoal, using broad strokes and differentiated shades of grey to create a three-dimensional effect. He used lithographic and transfer printing techniques which allowed him to create drawings regardless of time and place. Along with his drawings, Stumpp also painted landscapes and still-life arrangements in oils and tempera.

Born in the North Baden municipality of Neckarzimmern in 1886, Emil Stumpp trained as a teacher, completing his studies in 1914. He suffered multiple wounds during World War I. From 1919, he worked as a teacher in Königsberg. In 1924, Stumpp decided to embark on a career as a freelance press artist. A portrait of Adolf Hitler printed by the Dortmunder Generalanzeiger to commemorate Hitler’s birthday in 1933 was dubbed a scandal by the Nazis and led to Stumpp’s exclusion from the Reich Press Chamber, which effectively meant a work prohibition. Stumpp then shifted his activities abroad, mainly to Scandinavia.

Stumpp returned to Germany only sporadically, the last time in 1940 on the occasion of his daughter's death. In October of the same year, he was arrested in East Prussia and imprisoned on charges of “Heimtückegesetz“ and forbidden contact with two prisoners of war. Emil Stumpp died on 5 April 1941 in Sztum prison in West Prussia as a result of the prison conditions.

Emil Stumpp’s artistic archive encompasses around 10,000 original lithographs as well as oil paintings and watercolours. His estate contains themed reports on music, theatre and science as well as travelogues, diaries dating from the 1920s, pictures drawn in prison, business and family correspondence, family photographs and documents relating to his trial in 1940. The collection has been taken over from private ownership.

12.2.2025: An earlier version of our report erroneously stated "Born in the Swabian municipality of Neckarzimmern in 1886 …“

Background

The German National Library’s German Exile Archive 1933–1945 is a platform for discussing the subjects of exile and emigration during the Nazi era. The archive collects testimonies of this exile: publications, institutional and personal legacies – from all walks of life and regardless of the prominence of the individual concerned. The Archive’s goal is to capture the phenomenon of exile in all its variety and to facilitate access to our holdings.

The establishment of the Exile Archive during the early post-war period was initiated by a number of émigrés and other persons who saw it as an instrument of political enlightenment. This is another reason why the Exile Archive attaches particular importance to cultural education: the many aspects of exile between 1933 and 1945 are conveyed in exhibitions and a wide variety of events and publications, thus making a significant contribution to the cultivation of a vibrant culture of remembrance.

The German National Library welcomes donations to support its work. Whether for general purposes or specifically for the areas of education, collections, cultural programmes and research - donations help us preserve our national cultural heritage, educate our public in the fields of science and culture, and kindle their enthusiasm. Any support helps!

www.dnb.de/EN/engagement

Contact

Images for editorial use

Press image material is only available in German.
All images: German National Library's German Exile Archive 1933-1945, estate of Emil Stumpp, EB 2024/004