Der Ernährer (The Bread Winner)
1920
Medium
lithograph on pale brown paper
Dimensions
sheet: 59 x 46 cm (23 1/4 x 18 1/8 in.)
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of the Collectors Committee
Accession Number
2006.24.3
Art Historical Context
**Der Ernährer ( Bread Winner)**, a poignant 1920 lithograph by Heinrich Hoerle, captures the struggles of everyday life in post-World War I Germany. Created during the turbulent Weimar Republic, when economic devastation and hyperinflation gripped the nation, Hoerle—a founding member of the Cologne Progress group—depicted the burdens of the working class. The title evokes the archetype of the family provider, likely rendered in the stark, angular style of New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit), which emphasized social realities over idealism. Printed on pale brown paper (sheet: 59 x 46 cm), thi...