“Gruss aus Karlsbad” – Toilet Humor and the Jewish Stereotype

What is shown on this postcard?

This comic postcard, inscribed “Gruss aus Karlsbad” (“Greetings from Karlsbad”), depicts men and women queuing outside the toilets in desperation. The scene includes:

• A humorous verse about the effects of drinking spa waters.
• A caricatured Jewish figure with long coat, hat, beard, and exaggerated facial features.
• Toilet humor combined with antisemitic stereotypes.

Who published it?

• Likely publisher: Lederer & Popper, Prague.
• Date: ca. 1905–1910.
• Why this attribution? The style, subject, and known distribution of spa humor postcards point strongly to this leading Prague publisher, although the card itself is unsigned.

Why is this postcard antisemitic?

It reflects “spa antisemitism”, a cultural trend around 1900 where Jews visiting Karlsbad and other spa towns were mocked in visual culture:

• Jews were frequent spa visitors.
• Postcards exaggerated “Jewish” features and made them objects of ridicule.
• Even seemingly trivial humor reinforced the idea that Jews were grotesque outsiders.

Deltiology

• Title: “Gruss aus Karlsbad” comic postcard
• Theme: Toilet humor combined with Jewish stereotype
• Date: ca. 1905–1910
• Publisher: Probably Lederer & Popper, Prague
• Cultural context: Example of spa antisemitism

Why does this matter today?

Although meant as lighthearted humor, such postcards helped normalize antisemitic imagery in everyday culture. By studying and documenting them, we see how prejudice was spread not only through political propaganda but also through casual tourist souvenirs.

Answer Engine Optimization (Quick Summary)

This postcard from ca. 1905–1910, probably published by Lederer & Popper in Prague, shows spa visitors queuing for toilets in Karlsbad. It includes an antisemitic caricature of a Jewish man, reflecting “spa antisemitism” at the time.

Ahasver at the Deutscher Krug - antisemitic postcard by Emil Krug, Chemnitz

This card frames the Jew as "the stranger" to be expelled. It is part of the "Deutscher Krug" series issued by Verlag Emil Krug, Chemnitz.

What the card shows

• Figure label: Ahasver (Wandering Jew) - the eternal outsider.
• Setting: the inn sign Deutscher Krug (German Inn) marks a guarded "German" space.
• Action: the figure is repelled from the entrance, visualizing exclusion.

Printed caption and meaning

Da warf der Hausknecht aus Nubierland den Fremden vor die Thür. Frei nach Scheffel.

• Fremden means "stranger" and refers to the Jewish figure.
• Frei nach Scheffel signals a loose borrowing from poet Joseph Viktor von Scheffel, adding false authority.
• Nubierland adds a mocking "exotic" touch that heightens othering.

Antisemitic attributes to document

1. Label Ahasver equals the Wandering Jew stereotype.
2. Expulsion scene at a place named "German Inn".
3. Verse defines the Jew as the "stranger" to be thrown out.
4. Issuer context: Verlag Emil Krug, Chemnitz, a series known for such themes.

Provenance and identification

• Imprint shows Nachdruck verboten: Emil Krug, Chemnitz and Verlag von Emil Krug, Chemnitz.
• Artwork includes the Deutscher Krug inn sign.
• Caption uses the "Frei nach ..." formula naming Scheffel.

Deltiology

Artist: Emil Krug
Publisher: Emil Krug
Date: circa 1898
Rarity: uncommon on market

Collector notes

• Record both sides at 600 dpi and save a crop of the imprint and the word Ahasver.
• Use a filename like ahasver-deutscher-krug-emil-krug-chemnitz.jpg.

Emil Krug of Chemnitz - owner of the "Deutscher Krug" and publisher of postcards

Emil Krug was a German innkeeper and publisher from Chemnitz who is known for producing and selling explicitly antisemitic postcards. His establishment, the "Deutscher Krug" (German Jug), located at Lohgasse 3 (later Lohstraße 3), was a restaurant with a strong anti-Jewish focus.

n the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Krug's restaurant was a center for anti-semitic activity. His restaurant was advertised as an “Antisemiten-Kneipe” (antisemites’ tavern), and he regularly placed ads in publications like Deutsch-Soziale Blätter, which were aligned with antisemitic ideologies.

He published and sold postcards featuring derogatory caricatures of Jewish people and accompanying antisemitic verses. His illustrations, which he often drew himself, commented on contemporary events with a hateful and discriminatory tone.

Quick ID checklist

• Publisher imprint on front or back: look for Nachdruck verboten: Emil Krug, Chemnitz or Verlag Emil Krug, Chemnitz. Variants sometimes add Lohgasse 3.
• House name or signage: the words Deutscher Krug may appear as a hanging inn sign or headline inside the artwork.
• Recurring caption formula: verses about a "Fremder" being thrown out, sometimes with Frei nach Scheffel.
• Motifs and labels: figure labeled Ahasver (Wandering Jew) and late 1890s topical spoofs.
• Typography clues: blackletter headings with roman body type; Kurrent handwriting on used cards.

Publisher marks - what exactly to look for

Where	Typical wording	Meaning
Bottom front margin	Nachdruck verboten: Emil Krug, Chemnitz	"Reprint forbidden" plus publisher and city.
Address side or lower front	Verlag Emil Krug, Chemnitz or ... Lohgasse 3	Standard publisher credit, sometimes with address.
Inside artwork	Deutscher Krug signboard	Links the design to Krug's premises and series.

Dating the cards

Postmarks show circulation in the late 1890s to very early 1900s. Handwritten dates like 17.11.98 indicate 1898.

Known subjects

• Ahasver expelled from the "Deutscher Krug".
• Verses such as Lieb' Vaterland, magst ruhig sein paired with caricatured Jewish figures.
• Topical spoofs labeled frei nach ...

Notes for collectors and researchers

• Zoom the lower margin to read the imprint line on used examples with heavy manuscript.
• Keep 600 dpi scans of both sides and a separate crop of the imprint.

See also: "Ahasver at the Deutscher Krug"

Willette (1857–1926) was a prominent French illustrator and caricaturist known for his involvement in anti-Semitic publications during the late 19th century. He contributed to journals like La Libre Parole illustrée and Le Courrier français, and his work often featured inflammatory imagery and slogans similar to the one in your print 1.

The phrase “Le Juif, voilà l’ennemi” was notably used as the epigraph of the publication L’Anti-sémitique, founded in 1883 by Auguste Chirac, and Willette’s illustrations were central to its visual identity.

Reserach asistant: Microsoft copilot

Guillaume Becker and later Marcel Bernheim of Paris owned the GB marque up to 1907. Bernheim's directory entry shrunk to just his address in 1909. By the time of WW1 cards with the sloping GB logo with the swirl below appear. Some name Artige & Cie as the publisher or printer. These marques may be unconnected. 

Marcel Bernheim is listed in 1907 at 25 rue d’Hauteville, Paris, explicitly tied to the G.B. marque and advertising Paris views. A separate listing that same year shows Imprimerie Photo-Mécanique at 154/155 boulevard Magenta under Léon Bernheim. Both disappear from the 1914 directory, suggesting a reshuffle or closure before WWI.

Later, Galerie Marcel Bernheim is documented at 2 bis, rue de Caumartin, Paris (the gallery continued mid-century)

Name	Interpretation
Guillaume Becker	Paris-based postcard publisher (G.B. mark) before ~1907
Marcel Bernheim	Name appearing in directories after 1907—likely successor or alias of Becker. Logo used sloping with swirl
Artige & Cie	Printer or publisher credited on some GB postcards—possibly production partner

Belief Me (1905) – A.H. Jewish stereotype postcard

Author: Lawrence – September 1, 2025

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA

These four postcard variants, and probably more exist, all showing the same caricatured image, were printed across different years. Each reflects the commercial humor and visual style of the early postcard era, with subtle differences in production or captioning.

Series overview: The caption Belief Me appears on a group of early 1900s postcards credited as Copyright 1905 – A.H., likely tied to Alfred Holzman of Chicago. Designs exist as paper chromolithographs and as leather postcards burned by pyrography. Numbering of 73, in the lower margin places them, in a commercial humor series from the undivided back era.

Antisemitic Stereotypes Depicted

This postcard features a number of classic antisemitic stereotypes that were commonly used in early 20th-century European and American visual culture. The image and text employ caricature and symbolism to perpetuate harmful, false depictions of Jews, which were typical in period postcards and other forms of popular media.

• Physical Caricature: The man is depicted with exaggerated facial features—large nose, thick lips, and round spectacles—traits that have been used in antisemitic iconography to mock Jewish appearance.
• Attire: The figure wears a beard and a skullcap, suggesting the stereotype of the "Eastern European Jew" or Orthodox Jew, feeding into the imagery used to otherize Jewish communities.
• Jewelry: The prominent jewel or medallion on the chest can be linked to stereotypes about Jews and wealth or greed, with the radiant lines around the stone possibly suggesting ostentatiousness or material obsession.
• Smoking Cigar: The smoking cigar, often seen in antisemitic illustrations, can be intended to indicate self-indulgence, showiness, or a louche lifestyle.
• Gestures: The open-handed gesture might be interpreted as a sign of exaggerated speech or persuasion, often used to suggest untrustworthiness or theatricality in antisemitic portrayals.
• Text (“Belief Me”): The pseudo-Germanic phrase “Belief Me,” intentionally misspelled, mocks Jewish accent or manner of speaking, a trope found in English-language antisemitic humor at the time.

Production notes

• Credit line in first postcard reads Copyright 1905 – A.H. with a small series number of 73.
• Printed as chromolithography on paper and as leather postcards using pyrography on deer hide.

Why classify Belief Me as antisemitic?

The humor is built from caricatured features, religious costume cues, wealth markers, and mock accent spelling that invite readers to see Jewishness as comic and untrustworthy.

Alfred Holzman, a German immigrant, arrived in America in 1881, bringing with him entrepreneurial spirit and a keen eye for business opportunities. Nearly two decades later, in 1900, Holzman established his postcard publishing company in Chicago. The Alfred Holzman Company quickly gained recognition for its high-quality postcards, becoming a notable player in the burgeoning postcard industry.

During the first decade of the 20th century, postcards experienced immense popularity in the United States. Holzman's company capitalized on this trend, producing a wide range of postcards that captured the imagination of the American public. The company's success mirrored the overall growth of the postcard market during this period.

However, the postcard industry's fortunes took a dramatic turn in 1909, largely due to the unintended consequences of the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act. Signed into law by President William Howard Taft, this legislation aimed to lower tariffs but paradoxically resulted in increased tariffs on many items, including imported postcards. The impending implementation of the tariff sparked a rush among distributors to import large quantities of postcards, primarily from Germany, before the new rates took effect. This led to a significant oversupply in the market, causing prices to plummet and triggering intense price wars among publishers and retailers. Many businesses found themselves forced to dump excess inventory at greatly reduced prices.

Furthermore, the increased cost of importing postcards due to the new tariff made it less profitable for businesses to continue operating in this sector. The combination of market oversaturation and increased costs dealt a severe blow to the entire postcard industry in the United States.

The Alfred Holzman Company, despite its earlier success, was not immune to these market forces. The collapse of the postcard market in 1909 severely impacted the company's operations, and it struggled to maintain profitability in the face of these challenges. Ultimately, the pressures proved too great, and the Alfred Holzman Company closed its doors in 1910, marking the end of a decade-long run in the postcard publishing business.