1940.06.28 “No Place Like Home”
by Carl Spezio (ca 1912-2004)
11 x 14 in., ink on board
Coppola Collection
The back of the cartoon says “contribution from: Carl Spezio” and gives his address in Rochester NY. There is a well-known military recruiting poster “Be an Aviation Mechanic” for which he was the artist, but that’s it. I found listings for a Spezio family in Rochester, and a single “Carl” (and also a Carl Jr) who fit the age profile. Otherwise, I got nothing. The fact this is a “contribution” suggests, perhaps, a competition of some kind. The poster art is outstanding, and the stylism on this drawing is nice.
The title is important. “No place like home” was a highly popularized saying in the culture after the release of The Wizard of Oz (Aug 1939), and the cartoon depicts a fairly sophisticated parallel relationship that evokes some of the structure of the movie. The title may deliberately invoke the newly famous Wizard of Oz phrase to reinforce the distinction between a false, compromised “home” and the authentic France that de Gaulle claimed could still be recovered.
Before the occupation of France, Charles De Gaulle was hardly known inside of France, never mind internationally. When Nazi Germany attacked France on May 10, 1940, De Gaulle was a military officer. He commandeered a retreating French unit on May 15 and provided a rare success against the front line of the advancing German front. He was urged to give a rallying radio address on May 21 and was given a promotion to recognize his achievement. He led another successful campaign a week later.
On June 5, he was appointed as a government minister for coordinating with the British, which did get press coverage. By the end of the month, France was falling quickly. On June 17, de Gaulle flew to London on a British aircraft with Edward Spears. He gave a noteworthy speech declaring himself as the de facto leader of Free France, extolling others to follow. The armistice that divided France into the occupied and unoccupied (Vichy) zones was signed on June 21. De Gaulle was, in effect, the French government in exile in Great Britain, and had constant access to Churchill. Another rallying speech on June 22 got much wider coverage. He was denounced and stripped of rank by the new French government after the armistice went into effect on June 25 and continued to speak and act in highly visible ways on behalf of Free France.
I think the cartoon is of this exact moment, when one face of France has accommodated Hitler. The old France, typically depicted as a female, is now taken by Hitler. The De Gaulle character, who is probably at that moment in his “over the rainbow” character, is carrying the ultimate symbol of appeasement – Neville Chamberlain’s umbrella. Over in the real world, arm slung with a rifle, the real France is teaming up with Great Britain to fight for freedom.
The cartoon argues that there are now two Frances, and only one deserved to be called home.
