Walter Trier
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Walter Trier (25 June 1890 in Prague – 8 July 1951 in Craigleith, near Collingwood) was an
illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...
, best known for his work for the children's books of
Erich Kästner Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including ''Emil and the Detectives'' and '' Lisa an ...
and the covers of the magazine '' Lilliput''. He was born in
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
, later moved to
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and then emigrated to Canada. He also lived for a time in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.


Life

Trier was born to a middle class German-speaking Jewish family on 25 June 1890 in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. In 1905, Trier entered the Industrial School of Fine and Applied Arts; he later moved to the Prague Academy. In 1906, he entered the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
, Munich, where he studied under
Franz Stuck Franz Ritter von Stuck (February 23, 1863 – August 30, 1928), born Franz Stuck, was a German painter, sculptor, printmaker, and architect. Stuck was best known for his paintings of ancient mythology, receiving substantial critical acclaim with ...
and Erwin Knirr. In 1910, at age 20, Trier moved to
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
where he spent most of his career. There he became known for his caricatures and children's book illustrations. Trier married Helene Mathews in 1913; a daughter, Margaret, was born a year later. An anti-fascist, Trier's cartoons were bitterly opposed by the
Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
. In 1936 he emigrated to London. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Trier helped the Ministry of Information produce anti-Nazi leaflets and political propaganda. He and his wife became British citizens in 1947, the same year that they moved to Canada to be near their daughter, who had moved to Toronto with her husband in the late thirties.


Illustrations

Trier's works for the periodicals ''
Simplicissimus :''Simplicissimus is also a name for the 1668 novel ''Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus, Simplicius Simplicissimus'' and its protagonist.'' ''Simplicissimus'' () was a German language, German weekly satire, satirical magazine, founded by Albert ...
'' and '' Jugend'' appeared in 1909. The next year, Otto Eysler, the editor of '' Lustige Blätter'', persuaded him to move to Berlin and work for that magazine; Trier worked for ''Berliner Illustriete Zeitung'' as well. In 1927/1929, Trier was introduced to
Erich Kästner Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including ''Emil and the Detectives'' and '' Lisa an ...
, and he illustrated Kästner's ''Emil und die Detektive'' (''Emil and the Detectives''). Trier provided the front cover design for every issue of '' Lilliput'' from its start until 1949. Each time, the design featured a man, a woman, and a dog. The man and woman were usually young and almost always a couple, the dog was almost always black. It seems the original dog was Trier's. It was run over by a tram and killed, and after that Trier immortalised him in his ''Lilliput'' covers; the idea was light-hearted and the settings and styles varied considerably. In 1949, Trier illustrated Kästner's children's novel ''Das doppelte Lottchen'' (''
Lisa and Lottie ''Lisa and Lottie'', published in the United Kingdom and Australia as ''The Parent Trap'', (original German language, German title: ''Das doppelte Lottchen'', "The Double Lottie") is a 1949 Germany, German children's novel by Erich Kästner. The ...
''), which
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
then famously adapted into the 1961 film '' The Parent Trap'' starring
Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promisi ...
and its 1998 remake starring
Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...
. On his arrival in Canada, Trier started work on illustrations for the company Canada Packers.


Exhibitions and murals

In 1934, Trier held a one-man exhibition in Prague. Trier also created various murals: in the Kabarett der Komiker at
Kurfürstendamm The Kurfürstendamm (; colloquially , ; ) is one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street takes its name from the former (prince-electors) of Brandenburg. The broad, long boulevard can be considered the of Berlin and is lined with s ...
(1929, destroyed by the Nazis in 1933), on the liner SS ''Bremen'' (1929), and for Hoffmann–La Roche (
Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second Garden city movement, garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first New towns in the United Kingdom, new towns (designated 1948). It is ...
, 1938). He also staged designs for ''Spielzeug'' (1924) and ''
The Bartered Bride ''The Bartered Bride'' (, ''The Sold Bride'') is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The work is generally regarded as a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It ...
'' (1931). Trier held an exhibition of oils and water-colours in the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
in 1951, the year of his death. ''The Walter Trier Gallery at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) Devoted to the work of Walter Trier'' features small rotating exhibitions of the artist's watercolours, drawings, paintings and sculpture along with satirical works on paper by other artists from the AGO collection. In 1976, the AGO received a gift from the Trier-Fodor Foundation of over 1100 works by Trier and 345 folk toys. The gift was accompanied by an endowment to support the acquisition of humorous, satirical and illustrative art.


Bibliography


Books by Trier

*''Nazi-German in 22 Lessons'', Broadsheet, London, 1942. Reprint: Favoritenpresse, Berlin 2022, ISBN 978-3-96849-053-3 *''Brer Rabbit'', Harmondsworth, Middx: Penguin, Puffin, c. 1944 *''Dandy in the Circus'', New York: Dodd, Mead, 1950 *''Dandy the Donkey'', London: Nicholson & Watson, 1943 *''8192 Crazy Costumes in One Book...For Children from 5 and under to 75 and over'', London: Atrium *''8192 Crazy People in One Book'', London: Atrium, c. 1950 *''8192 Quite Crazy People in One Book'', London: Atrium, 949?*''10 Little Negroes: A New Version'', London: Sylvan, 1944


Books by others illustrated by Trier

* Colman, Fred A. "Artisten" (1928) * Földes, Jolán, ''Peter verliert nicht den Kopf'' (translated from Hungarian by Stefan J. Klein) * Harris, Joel Chandler, ''Brer Rabbit'' * Hirschfeld, Ludwig, ''Wien und Budapest'' * Hochstetter, Gustav, ''Maruschka braut gelibbtes!'' * Kästner, Erich, ''Das doppelte Lottchen'' (''Lisa and Lottie''; republished as ''The Parent Trap'' in the United Kingdom and Australia) (1949) * Kästner, Erich, ''Der 35 Mai'' (''The 35th of May'') * Kästner, Erich, ''
Till Eulenspiegel Till Eulenspiegel (; ) is the protagonist of a European narrative tradition. A German chapbook published around 1510 is the oldest known extant publication about the folk hero (a first edition of is preserved fragmentarily), but a background i ...
the Clown'', ''Till the Jester'', and ''Eleven Merry Pranks of Till the Jester'' * Kästner, Erich, '' Emil und die Detektive'' (''Emil and the Detectives'') * Kästner, Erich, ''Emil und die drei Zwillinge'' (''Emil and the Three Twins'') * Kästner, Erich, ''Das fliegende Klassenzimmer'' (''The Flying Classroom'') * Kästner, Erich, ''Des Freiherrn von Münchhausen wunderbare Reisen und Abenteuer zu Wasser und zu Lande'' (''Baron Munchhausen'') * Kästner, Erich, ''Der gestiefelte Kater'' (''Puss in Boots'') * Kästner, Erich, ''Der kleine Grenzverkehr, oder, Georg und die Zwischenfälle'' (''A Salzburg Comedy'') * Kästner, Erich, ''Die Konferenz der Tiere'' (''The Animals Conference'') * Kästner, Erich, ''Pünktchen und Anton'' (''Annaluise and Anton'') * Kästner, Erich, ''Das verhexte Telefon'' * Kipling, Rudyard, ''Das kommt davon'' * Meyer, Alfred Richard, ''Die Reise in die Jugend'' * Meyer, Wilhelm ("My"), ''Fridolins Harlekinder'' * Meyer, Wilhelm ("My"), ''Fridolins Zauberland'' * Meyer, Wilhelm ("My"), ''Fridolins Siebenmeilenpferd'' * Morgan, Diana, ''My Sex Right or Wrong'' * Nelson, Claire, ''The Jolly Picnic'' * Roda Roda, ''Die verfolgte Unschuld'' * Schloemp, Felix, ''Der Allotria Kientopp'' * Schloemp, Felix, ''Schabernack und Lumpenpack'' * Seth-Smith, David, ''Jolly Families'' * Seyffert, Oskar, ''Spielzeug'' * Twain, Mark, ''Die Abenteuer des Tom Sawyer'' * Wiseman, Herbert, ''Singing Together''


Periodicals to which Trier contributed

* ''
Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung The ''Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung'', often abbreviated ''BIZ'', was a German weekly illustrated magazine published in Berlin from 1892 to 1945. It was the first mass-market German magazine and pioneered the format of the illustrated news magazine ...
'' * '' Daily Herald'' (London) * ''
Die Dame ''Die Dame'' (English: The Lady) was the first illustrated magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textua ...
'' * '' Jugend'' * '' Lilliput'' * ''
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
'' * '' Lustige Blätter'' * ''New Liberty'' * ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' * '' Saturday Night'' * ''
Simplicissimus :''Simplicissimus is also a name for the 1668 novel ''Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus, Simplicius Simplicissimus'' and its protagonist.'' ''Simplicissimus'' () was a German language, German weekly satire, satirical magazine, founded by Albert ...
'' * ''Uhu'' * '' Die Zeitung'' (London)


Books about Trier and anthologies of his works

* Clements, Warren, ed. ''The Many Worlds of Walter Trier: Inimitable Drawings of Baron Munchausen, Tom Sawyer, Emil, Brer Rabbit and Many, Many Others.'' Toronto: Nestlings Press, 2019. *''Humorist Walter Trier: Selections from the Trier-Fodor Foundation Gift.'' The Art Gallery of Ontario, 1981. * ''Jesters in Earnest.'' London: Murray, 1944. Cartoons by Trier and four other Czechoslovakian artists. * Kästner, Erich, ed. ''Heiteres von Walter Trier.'' Hannover: Fackelträger-Verl., 1959. *Lang. Lothar, ed. ''Walter Trier im Eulenspiegel-Verlag.'' astBerlin: Eulenspiegel-Verlag, 1971. Munich: Rogner & Bernhard, 1971. *Lang, Lothar, ed. ''Das grosse Trier-Buch.'' astBerlin: Eulenspiegel-Verlag, 1972; Munich and Zurich: Piper, 1974. (New editions: 1984 and 1986.) *''Lilliput: Walter Trier's World.'' Tokyo: Pie, 2004. Presents 99 of Trier's covers for ''Lilliput''; text in both Japanese and English. *Neuner-Warthorst, Antje. ''"Da bin ich wieder!": Walter Trier - die Berliner Jahre.'' Berlin: SMPK, 1999. *Trier, Walter. ''Kleines Trier-Paradies.'' Zurich: Sanssouci-Verlag, 1955. *''Trier Panoptikum''. Berlin: Eysler, 1922. * Neuner-Warthorst, Antje, Walter Trier: Politik - Kunst - Reklame, Zürich: Atrium 2006.


See also

*
List of Germans who resisted Nazism This list contains the names of individuals involved in the German resistance to Nazism, but is not a complete list. Names are periodically added, but not all names are known. There are both men and women on this list of ("Resistance fighte ...
* Trier (disambiguation)


References


External links

*
walter-trier.de
(in German)


Film from 1938 of Walter Trier at Work
British Pathe {{DEFAULTSORT:Trier, Walter 1890 births 1951 deaths British illustrators Canadian illustrators Illustrators from Bohemia German illustrators German pacifists Jewish illustrators British Jews Canadian people of Czech-Jewish descent Artists from Prague Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni