Top of page

Photo, Print, Drawing Decrepit Rigmarole (To be Sung on Rainy Days, while Pinching One's Nose with Two Fingers). Tiritera decrepita (da cantarsi nei giorni piovosi, stringendosi il naso con due dita)

About this Item

Title

  • Decrepit Rigmarole (To be Sung on Rainy Days, while Pinching One's Nose with Two Fingers).

Other Title

  • Tiritera decrepita (da cantarsi nei giorni piovosi, stringendosi il naso con due dita)

Summary

  • Shown here is a satirical drawing of a boat called Quistione Italiana (Italian Issue), sailing in the "Conference Sea," carrying Italian prime minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, British prime minister David Lloyd George, President Woodrow Wilson of the United States, and French prime minister Georges Clemenceau, the Big Four of the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Orlando is at the tiller and pleads with the others to wake up. The cabin boy on the mast symbolizes the "Jackass Slavs" and points to Fiume, the Adriatic port claimed both by Italy and the newly-established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. The lyrics of a lullaby appear below the image: "Once upon a time there was a tiny ship / Once upon a time there was a tiny ship / Once upon a time there was a tiny ship / That could not, could not sail any more. / 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 weeks passed... / 8,9,10,11,12,13,14 weeks passed... / 15,16,17,18,19,20,21 weeks passed... / The sea itself was starting to ... dry out." A note below the song suggests that the verses may be repeated at will, depending on the stamina of the singer, and always while holding the nose. The poster and the lyrics reflect the national frustration and outrage felt in Italy in the spring of 1919, as it became clear that Italian expectations of gaining territory along the Adriatic as a result of sacrifices in World War I would not be met. This situation was exploited by the rising nationalist movements in Italy with talk about a "crippled victory" and ultimately culminated in the seizure of Fiume on September 12, 1919 by a force of Italian irregular soldiers led by the nationalist writer Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863--1938).

Names

  • Annibali, E. Artist.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1919.

Headings

  • -  France
  • -  Italy
  • -  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • -  United States of America
  • -  1919
  • -  Adriatic question
  • -  Caricatures and cartoons
  • -  Clémenceau, Georges, 1841-1929
  • -  Lloyd George, David, 1863-1945
  • -  Orlando, Vittorio Emanuele, 1860-1952
  • -  Sailboats
  • -  Satires (Visual works)
  • -  Territorial questions
  • -  Treaty of Versailles (1919)
  • -  Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924
  • -  World War, 1914-1918

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 drawing : watercolor ; 90 x 60 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Alessandrina Library.
  • -  Content in Italian.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • World War I

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670943

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Annibali, E. Artist. Decrepit Rigmarole To be Sung on Rainy Days, while Pinching One's Nose with Two Fingers. United States of America United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Italy France, 1919. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670943/.

APA citation style:

Annibali, E. A. (1919) Decrepit Rigmarole To be Sung on Rainy Days, while Pinching One's Nose with Two Fingers. United States of America United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Italy France, 1919. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670943/.

MLA citation style:

Annibali, E. Artist. Decrepit Rigmarole To be Sung on Rainy Days, while Pinching One's Nose with Two Fingers. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670943/>.