Purim print (lith. A. L. Monsohn)
Jerusalem, c1890
Jerusalem, Eretz Israel
Paper, colored inks, stone lithograph, height: 47.2 cm, width: 30.7 cm

The first color printing in the Holy Land was produced by the Monsohn firm. Monsohn learned the craft of stone lithography in Germany and set up the first such printing shop in Jerusalem. He carried out his work on a very high technical and artistic level, and his services were used to produce a great variety of printed pieces.

This Purim scene appears to be among Monsohn's earliest works and is not know in other examples. There are some 30 pieces by the Monsohn firm in the Gross Family collection. This production began in the late 19th century and continued through the 1920s.

enlarge