A first date? Two young lovers, dressed in their Sunday best, are seated on a park bench. The initials carved into it record a succession of previous amorous encounters. Although he has his arm around her shoulders, the figures’ stiff pose expresses indifference and estrangement, a characteristic of Mammen's cynical depictions of heterosexual couples. Published in the popular satirical magazine Simplicissimus in 1930, this drawing is typical of her illustrations of Berlin city life.
Jeanne Mammen (German, 1890–1976), The Joy of Nature, ca. 1930. Graphite pencil and watercolor on paper, 17 x 14 1/8 inches (43.2 x 35.8 cm). Bequest of Fred Ebb, 2005.145. © Jeanne Mammen/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.