Inscribed in graphite below plate, "Wer steckt hinter den Weibern? Der Dichter (Walt [illegible]), herzlichst O. Kokoschka (der dahinter gekommen ist) 24.XII.18". Translation: "Who stands behind the wenches? The poet (Walt [illegible]) Sincerely O. Kokoschka (who discovered this) 24.XII.18"
Edition of 110.
Expressionist poet and playwright Walter Hasenclever (1890 -1940) was one of Oskar Kokoschka's literary friends in Dresden. Kokoschka was a major figure of the Viennese avant-garde at the beginning of the twentieth century. In his portraits, he was known for conveying the psychology of his sitters. This sheet carries a jocular handwritten inscription by the artist, the date of which suggests that he may have given it to a friend (perhaps Hasenclever himself) on Christmas Eve, 1918.