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Jim Wald

ironic anniversaries

March 7 was the birthday of the man who created modern and the one who nearly destroyed it

- President Liberator Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937)
- Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich (1904; assassinated by Czechoslovak paratroopers, 1942)
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postal cover with special postmark in red celebrating Masaryk's 85th birthday, 1935: right: red 1-Crown stamp depicting Masaryk (pince-nez, goatee) in characteristic peaked cap looking left circular postmarks top left, center, and right with the location (Prague Castle) and date (7 March 1935) two vignettes (beneath each: *1850*T. G.MASARYK*1935* between the left and central postmarks: coat of arms with the nationak motto Pravda Vitězi--Truth Prevalls between the central postmark and the stamp: entrance to Prague Castle
black-and-white photo: Heydrich (in front of officers and troops)l facing left and giving the Nazi salute at Prague Castle--where he ruled from the presidential office that Masaryk had formerly occupied)
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Jim Wald

The contrast between T. G. Masaryk (born 7 March 1850) and Reinhard Heydrich (born 7 March 1904) could not be greater:

one, a builder and a humanist
nps.gov/articles/000/declarati

the other, a destroyer and hangman
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content
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personal bookplate of Masaryk bold black-and white line image depicting humanity and modernity: a little girl, representing the promise of the future, sits on the ground with her back to us, facing the initials TGM as she braids a flower chain. In the background, smokestacks signal technical and economic growth and a better future
Heydrich on the cover of Time Magazine, 23 February 1942 in his black uniform with his thin face turned slightly to the left in the background, an array of nooses, reflecting his nickname, The Hangman caption HEYDRICH; GESTAPO EXECUTIONER Can terror, hunger, propaganda rule 150,000,000 captives?
Public
Jim Wald

Here is a treasured large-scale portrait of President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk that from time to time graces my home office. It depicts him at work in the president's office in Prague Castle ("Hrad," as noted in the signature)


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detail of portrait: bald man with goatee intently studying document
on easel: portrait of Masaryk in red pastel, facing right, reading a manuscript left: a black iron woodstove background: Czechoslovak flag hanging on wall
Jim Wald

The previous portrait of President Masaryk depicts him in Castle reading a manuscript, representing him as both a leader and a thinker

How nice to see a world leader whose preferred depiction is with books and learning. Here he is in his personal library


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in a photograph dated 1920, Masaryk, wearing a dark suit, in his library: standing and facing left, the president bends over: slightly resting his elbow on a little ledge projecting from a wall of wooden bookshelves, he is immersed in reading an unidentified book at right, an armchair and small reading table
Mar 09, 2025, 03:30 AM·Public·Fedica
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