WWII Era Newsprint proof?

[kevindb]

Hello all.
I bought this framed picture, I always had a liking to wooden sailboats and ponds.

Being this an older frame/picture, I took the frame apart and removed picture to clean the glass, I noticed something strange. On the backside of the picture was another picture of WWII Hitler. No I am not a Hitler buff or even like him but I just thought this was strange.

From what I can tell it is printed on a off whitish, now yellowish colored hard stock, and also seems to be of an American newspaper, and there is a mention of the NY Times in one of the articles. Maybe it's not an American newsprint "IDK".
It has been cut to fit the frames matting and looks like the bottom half of a full size newspaper.
The frame also had the tan paper professional covering the back side of the frame. So someone took care to mount this in a professional hand built frame.

I am wondering if this could be a WWII era newsprint "Proofing" before final printing to proof the type setters work? It is not printed on thin newspaper, paper it is on both sides of a single whiteish to yellowish thin cardboard hardstock.

If anyone knows what this is please let me know. The frame is also an old frame from the WWII era telling by the way the frame was made with nails and such.

Thanks in advance, as I have no clue what or why this would be like this. Both images are on one manilla hard stock "One image on one side and the other image is on the other side" of the manilla hard stock.

 

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[GoldieLocks]

Are there dates on it? It is likely age discolored and was originally white. What are do you live in? Does it have a newspaper name at the top?

 

[kevindb]

No dates, as the item seems to have been cut in half, this being the bottom half of a full size newspaper. But it's not newspaper-"paper". Not sure now, it's not white, it looks white in the pictures from the cameras flash and or white balance. Could have maybe been an dull off white at one time but it looks like off white to a faint yellowish tint, could have been a white at one time. It's is printed on thin hard stock cardboard-ish , not paperish. We are in Ohio USA.

The pond and sail boats was the outward facing side and is faded from sun and exposure. The hitler cartoon side was in the frame, out of lights way. The Hitler side being out of light and darker wouldn't that be a more accurate color of the item? As the white looking pond side was exposed to light over the years and faded? IDK, that's why I think it was printed on a yellowish color hard stock. I could be wrong to, that's why I am asking.

The hand written marks on the right side of the page with the Hitler cartoon is from who ever had it framed. Those are the specs for the mattings borders, so the frame maker knew what to do with the matting.
The matting is also the old hand cut matting. So it is old.
It doesn't look like propaganda in any sense. That's why I am thinking a newspaper print typeset proofer (What we call editing) today. Typeset from an actual "press style" printer, not a drum printing machine, from what newspaper printer? I don't know. If it is even a proof from before a printing run, that is.

 

[Red-Coat]

I can't help much, apart from the date (of the events described in the newspaper or whatever it is). The meeting between Hitler and Mussolini at the Villa Pisani near Stra in the Venice region of Italy took place in June 1934 (ie before the outbreak of WWII). Hitler arrived in Italy on 14th June for a two day conference with the Italian dictator.

 

[kevindb]

The only dates in the articles relate to a war debt after 1932

 

[kevindb]

Thank you 100% that really helps as I am no war buff. It makes sense. You were a great help!!
I am really wondering if it could be an original print proof from a printer, you know before the papers are printed the typeset is proofed to make sure the typeset is correct and words spelled correctly. The hard stock is what has me baffled as to what the item is, not really the subject matter. Thanks 100% for the article info, as I am no war buff at all, and that really helps.
I was thinking that maybe back then they printed limited issues on hard stock (For strength) for out in public use so the army personal or displaced citizens can have some type of access to news, or even a "Underground" publishing to get the news to people in hiding. Who knows.
It is a neat item, whatever it is. Again thank you for the info, sheds some light on it.

 

[Red-Coat]

The wording from the article warning about German interest in biological weaponry, first publicised by Wickham Steed - the former British editor of The Times (the London Times) newspaper - has some further clues.

“The universal esteem with which this former editor of “THE TIMES” enjoys, as well as his love for our country, makes us feel an obligation to inform the French public of these revelations…”

That phrasing of “his love for our country” must mean the ‘ownership’ of the publication was somewhere English-speaking, but not Britain. There is also reference to the bacterial agent having “red coloration”, which is American spelling, or possibly Canadian.

Given the phrasing “to inform the French public”, there seems to be an expectation that the publication must at least be read by a French audience, despite being in English. That’s a bit odd… unless it’s a publication for American/Canadian ‘ex-pats’ in France, or for somewhere else where there was a high population of English-speaking settled French people.

 

[kevindb]

Ok OK, I never would have thought to look at it in an academic manner, I think you hit it right on the head. WOW Forgive me, for I am speechless!! Thank you.

 

[Red-Coat]

You may be interested in this {edited) extract from an article in the Irish Times in 2014 by Hugh Oram, titled “Papers of Paris”. I think it’s potentially relevant to what you have. My additions in [square brackets].

Bohemian Paris in the 1920s [and onwards into the 1930s] was a wonderful place for journalists, who could enjoy the city’ s non-conformity; the city was awash with vinous and many other libertarian delights. Not only were mainstream newspapers flourishing, but the city at one stage had four English language newspapers and a plethora of literary publishers…

…The collapse of the French franc against the US dollar precipitated an influx of Americans to Paris, including many literary figures. Paris became home to the likes of F Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Ezra Pound. They could live for next to nothing in Paris and while away many hours in the literary cafes of Montparnasse, then the cultural centre of Paris. The seismic shift to the boulevard St Germain came much later.

One noted writer who contributed occasional newspaper pieces was James Joyce, who was paid between $8 and $10 for each piece he wrote for the Paris edition of the Chicago Tribune. This paper was by far the most interesting of the three American newspapers in Paris, although after 17 anarchic years, it merged in 1934 [the year your paper was published] with its better-off rival, the Paris version of the New York Herald. This was the progenitor of the present day International New York Times, still produced in Paris. The third paper, the Paris Times, had a far briefer existence. The fourth English language paper in Paris was the Continental Daily Mail, founded in 1905 [which was a British publication that we can rule out from the American spellings of coloration, splendors, and honor].

The Chicago paper had a staff of about 30 and how it managed to survive for so long on such perilous foundations remained a mystery. Cafe life was a constant distraction and its business editor always said that he made the office each day just in time for lunch. On one occasion, F Scott Fitzgerald, who had just arrived at its offices with Zelda his wife, announced that he had just been to a brothel and that he had enjoyed the experience so much that everyone on the staff should try it; most already had.