La Juif-Errant [“The Wandering Jew.”] Image of a young Frenchman directing a pejoratively drawn Jew away from his Christian town. With French lyrical text below.

(ANTISEMITICA)

c.

v.p.

1800

Group of three French colored broadsides issued in: Amiens, Epinal and Metz. Each single leaf.

According to Christian legend ‘The Wandering Jew’ was condemned to wander the earth until the Second Coming for having taunted Jesus on the way to the crucifixion. This theme became a pronounced vehicle for anti-Semitic sentiment in folklore and literature over the centuries. In later periods, the Wandering Jew was utilized as a vehicle for social satire. In the present French lyrical lament, the Wandering Jew reflects contemporary life-styles. See J. Gaer, The Legend of the Wandering Jew (1961).