[From the Community Collection, a public trust in Agincourt, Iowa]

HOWEY, Robert Leslie (1900–1981)

“After the Gale”

woodcut

Look at the very fine print in the lower right corner: Künstlerpresse Worpswede.

It’s happened before. It’s happening now and undoubtedly will again. And again. That’s just how I roll.

A chance encounter with the rural community of Worpswede in Lower Saxony (between Bremen and Hamburg), has drawn me into another of the many rabbit holes that consume too much time. What I really mean, of course, is how happy I am to jump into those holes again and again.

The word itself piqued my curiosity and a quick internet search confirmed my suspicion that this was the tip of an interesting opportunity for an Agincourt connection.

“Notgeld is a form of emergency currency created by small cities, towns, and municipalities under German control during the period following the First World War. In the context of post-war currency shortages, these cities supplemented what the government was unable to provide. The notes include a wide range of imagery that represent local identities, traditions, and cultures. Notgeld are often colorful and heavily illustrated, depicting landscapes, cityscapes, historic monuments, people, and local folklore/mythology.” — The Smithsonian

A good many communities during the Great Depression printed their own scrip for local use only. Here in the U.S., it was more often than not the general store or “provisioner” who did this. Which, of course, pleads the question of what this might say about Agincourt during that stressful period. I doubt that regional graphic design would have tended toward the “Expressionism” used at Worpswede but it could have been just as colorful and festive. Not being a graphic designer in any sense, this will nag me until I find an answer.