Early Drawings and Cartoons by Jewish Immigrant Artists, ca. 1900-1920
Online Presentation by Matthew Baigell, Rutgers University Professor Emeritus
At the Fritz Ascher Society
May 6, 12-1 pm
In this talk, Rutgers University professor emeritus Matthew Baigell discusses early Jewish immigrant artists and cartoonists. As millions of Jews immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe starting in the 1870s, they brought with them not only their religious heritage but also a definitive idea of the place and value of art and aesthetics in society. Around 1900 they established a Jewish art stream separate from mainstream American art that continues to the present day. To a greater or lesser degree over the decades, artists have continually emphasized community values, politics, and religious heritage.
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Image: Shelter Us Under the Shadow of Thy Wings, Hebrew Publishing 1909
Matthew Baigell is professor emeritus in art history at Rutgers University. He has written, co-authored, and co-edited twenty-four books on mainstream American and Jewish American art. His most recent book is “Heritage: Jewish Artists in America Since 1900” (2025), the first book in which a continuous, separate art stream has been identified.
This event is part of the online series Flight or Fight. stories of artists under repression.
The book Heritage: Jewish Artists in America Since 1900 (Judaic Traditions in Literature, Music, and Art), was published by Syracuse University Press in 2025.
Cover image “Genesis” by Joel Silverstein
