Käthe Kollwitz
Cover design for the Freie Volksbühne association magazine
circa 1900
Graphite and pen in black ink
Käthe Kollwitz Museum Cologne
The Freie Volksbühne association was founded in 1890 to give workers access to the theater. Closed events also allowed plays that were subject to censorship to be performed. Käthe Kollwitz’s brother Conrad Schmidt (1863–1932) was involved in the founding of the association and became its chairman in 1897. It was probably at his instigation that his sister created the vignette for the cover of the association’s magazines.