“In winter and in summer. Etchings by Krommer”. Helmut Krommer added this cheerful message to an etching he produced at the turn of 1933.  The graphic itself radiates with a similar sense of gaiety. The artist portrays himself, clothed in a long dressing gown standing before a large drawing board and easel, with his two daughters, Anna and Barbara. He is putting a final, written greeting on an etching which wishes the recipients of the work happiness, love and success for 1933; in short, happier times than those which recent circumstances had allowed for. That wish was sadly not granted for the Krommer family. 1933 was the year of their departure from Germany, with this etching containing an ominous allusion to that effect.

In the lower half of the drawing board the artist’s two daughters are creating drawings. Alongside a number of good luck symbols, for example a horseshoe, the artist has incorporated two symbols from his immediate historical present into the image. A hammer and sickle are depicted next to an inverted depiction of the Nazi swastika. This inversion is the result of a mirroring effect produced when printing from a metal etching plate, although it is unclear whether this was intentional on Krommer’s part. Less than one month after the scene depicted here, Hitler managed to assume control of Germany’s political landscape. As a committed socialist with a Jewish wife, Krommer was subjected to a search of his home residence and further intimidation from Nazi authorities. On 1 May 1933, he and his family left Germany and emigrated to Prague. He left behind his Berlin residence and his “revolutionary” home telephone number: 1848.