91Èȱ¬

Miriam Elia has contributed this pencil sharpener. It belonged to her grandfather, the caricaturist Ralph Sallon. He was a political cartoonist who spent much of his career working for The Mirror. He drew some of the leading figures in the politics and showbiz worlds.

During the Second World War he drew extremely expressive pictures of the Nazis and other world leaders of the time. His drawings of Nazi leaders were blown up to a large size and dropped over occupied countries to try and encourage resistance. He made sure that his name was featured on these drawings and it was claimed after the war that he was on the Nazi death list as a result.

As a Jewish artist, the threat of WWII was particularly pertinent. He saw his satire as a way of confronting the tyrannical regimes that populated the world during his lifetime.