Wilhelm Schulz in Simplicissimus, Munich

1 [1907, Jan 21] Michel, wake up! (Michel, wach auf!), Wilhelm Schulz cover of Simplicissimus 43, Vol. 11, p.685

ARTIST Wilhelm Schulz (1865-1952), of Lüneburg, Germany, was a contributor to Simplicissimus almost from the start on April 4, 1896. His first of nearly 2500 contributions was in issue number 5 of May 2. Simplicissimus was a prominent satirical weekly founded in Munich by its publisher Albert Langen (1869-1909) and artist Thomas Theodor Heine (1867-1948).  

It started only months after a similar German paper was launched in January with the title Jugend that sparked the name Jugendstil (from Jugend: youth + Stil: style); a paper published by Georg Hirth (1841-1916) and first introduced as ‘Münchner illustrierte Wochenschrift für Kunst und Leben’ (Munich illustrated weekly for Art and Life). A vital ingredient in both Jugend and Simplicissimus was exciting graphic art, including comics art.

2 [1896, Oct 31] To no avail (Umsonst), Wilhelm Schulz strip, full backpage of Simplicissimus 31, Vol. 1, p.8

3 [1897, Jan 9] Guardian angel Aegir (Schutzengel Aegir), Wilhelm Schulz strip, full page in Simplicissimus 41, Vol. 1, p.4

4 [1898, Jul 30] The boat trip (Die Bootpartie), Wilhelm Schulz strip, full page in Simplicissimus 18, Vol. 3, p.141

5 [1902, May 20] In the Wood (Im Wald), Wilhelm Schulz drawing and poem, full page of Simplicissimus 8, Vol. 7, p.61

6 [1904, Dec 20] Christmas in Asia (Weinachten in Ostasien), Wilhelm Schulz cover of Simplicissimus 39, Vol. 9, p.381

7 [1913, Nov 24] From the north country (Aus der Nordmark), Wilhelm Schulz cover of Simplicissimus 35, Vol. 18, p.569. On the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen.

8 [1917, Jan 2] Panic in the munition trade (Panik im Munitionsgeschäft), Wilhelm Schulz, full page of Simplicissimus 40, Vol. 21, p.508. Uncle Sam deals with Death.

9 [1917, Nov 13] In the Land of Freedom (Im Lande der Freiheit), Wilhelm Schulz, full page of Simplicissimus 33, Vol. 22, p.416

10 [1919, Dec 10] The Board of Inquiry (Der Untersuchungsausschuß), Wilhelm Schulz cover of Simplicissimus 37, Vol. 24, p.521

11 [1920, Oct 13] The Paper Flood (Die Papiersintflut), Wilhelm Schulz cover of Simplicissimus 29, Vol. 25, p.377

12 [1920, Dec 15] Beethoven, Wilhelm Schulz cover of Simplicissimus 38, Vol. 25, p.501

13 [1920, Dec 22] German Christmas (Deutsche Weihnacht), Wilhelm Schulz cover of Simplicissimus 39, Vol. 25, p.517

The first Simplicissimus ran from April 1896 to September 1944. It was revived under the abbreviated title Der Simpl in 1946-50 (subtitle: ‘Kunst - Karikatur - Kritik’), and then as Simplicissimus again, by illustrator Olaf Iverson, in a final series that lasted from 1954 until 1967. Jugend ran from 1896 to 1940.

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Our thanks to Eckart Sackmann

and  the Simplicissimus Project