Proof of an illustration for Jerome and Jean Tharaud’s book “L’Ombre de la Croix”, Editions Lapina, Paris, 1931, Pl. 52 facing p. 172. Brangwyn did 63 etched illustrations for this, another of which is P 533. A majority of his etchings appear to be set in the town of Belz, Poland. The Jewish community migrated to Belz in the late 14th Century, where it then became a place of pilgrimage. The book “L’ombre de la Croix” was originally published in 1917. At this time, the Zionist Organisation was becoming more prominent in Belz, hence resulting in the Jewish communities slowly repatriating to Palestine. This occured in 1917 after the ‘Balfour Decleration’ was passed by the British governement, supporting the establishment of a Jewish home in Palestine. At present, there is no evidence of Brangwyn setting foot in Poland, therefore, the assumption is that he used photographs, the text descriptions in the book or his own knowldge of the Jewish communities around him when completing his etchings.
