Peace Everlasting [Europe after the Munich Agreement]

Misplaced optimism in the months following the Munich Agreement.

The Statue of Liberty is boldly imposed atop a map of Europe on the front of this hopeful 1938 Christmas card, published shortly after the Munich Agreement temporarily relieved fears of a continental war. Germany is appropriately colored black, encompassing Austria after the Anschluss. The blood red outline of formerly independent Czechoslovakia reflects the sacrifices made for peace. Inside, a scene of the Three Wise Men approaching Bethlehem is accompanied by the printed text, “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.” Tragically, for millions, this was not to be.

Illustrated by Robert Cadore (signed below the nativity scene), a French artist from Lorraine, and published in late 1938, before the invasion of Poland would irrevocably change the borders of Europe.