Postcard from Gustav Klimt to Julius Zimpel “Birthday “Heil“ …“, (Mödling–Klausen), 28th Sep. 1910

Transcription:

28th Sept. 1910

BIRTHDAY.
“HEIL”!
Gustav

[Address block:]
To
Mr.
Julius
Zimpel
Vienna 6th District
Mollardgasse 11
3rd Floor

Note from the Leopold Museum:

At the turn of the twentieth century, the word “Heil” was widely used as a solemn or celebratory expression for well-being and happiness without inherent political or extremist implications. Only through its ritualized and ideologically charged appropriation under National Socialism did the term undergo a profound semantic shift, becoming narrowly defined and indelibly marked by its historical associations.