Henry Rox "Mr. Onion Shouting for Help" 1936 Vintage Print

"Mr. Onion Shouting for Help" Opp. P. 34
From Tommy Apple and Peggy Pear by James Laver
Jonathan Cape, London, 1936

Vintage silver gelatin print
Image: 5.25 x 5.25 inches
Estate stamped verso

This vintage silver gelatin print depicts one of Henry Rox’s most animated and psychologically charged “photo-sculptures” created for Tommy Apple and Peggy Pear (Jonathan Cape, London, 1936). Here Mr. Onion—constructed as a sculpted anthropomorphic figure with onion head and chef’s toque—thrashes in a reflective pool, arms raised in theatrical desperation, kitchen implement still clutched in hand. Rox transforms simple organic matter into narrative drama: rippling water, floating leaves, and sculptural modeling combine to create a scene at once whimsical and unsettling.

The image exemplifies Rox’s mastery of staged photographic illustration. Working with meticulously constructed miniature sets, he united sculpture, lighting, and camera perspective into cohesive tableaux that operate simultaneously as children’s fantasy and sophisticated modernist composition. The tonal range of this print—particularly in the reflective surface of the water—demonstrates his command of light, shadow, and atmospheric depth.

Born into a prominent Jewish family in Berlin, Rox received elite artistic training in Germany, studying at leading art institutions during the fertile Weimar period. Immersed in Berlin’s avant-garde milieu, In 1933 he attended the Berliner Fotoschule, refining his technical command of photography. While his Berlin years provided the sculptural foundation and experimental sensibility that would later inform his photographic constructions, he did not formally develop his “photo-sculpture” method until after his relocation to London in 1934.

With the rise of National Socialism, Rox and his wife Lotte fled Germany in 1934, leaving behind his studio and possessions. His parents and extended family remained and were later murdered in Nazi concentration camps. He never saw them again.

Rebuilding his career in London beginning in 1934, Rox fcreated what he termed “photo-sculpture” — sculptural constructions created specifically for photographic realization rather than pedestal display. It was in London that he began systematically constructing miniature environments intended from the outset for photographic completion, conceiving the photograph as the final object.

In collaboration with James Laver, he produced Tommy Apple and His Adventures in Banana-Land (1935) and Tommy Apple and Peggy Pear (1936), both published by Jonathan Cape. These works introduced his constructed photographic language into British publishing culture. Their originality led to commercial commissions for Guinness and major British cosmetic firms, demonstrating his ability to adapt sculptural humor to advertising contexts while retaining formal discipline.

Henry and Lotte Rox arrived in New York in May 1938. In 1939 he was appointed to a teaching position in sculpture at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. During his first year he commuted from New York before relocating permanently in 1940. This transitional period coincided with intense experimentation across media.

In 1940 Rox created an animated short incorporated into MGM’s Strike Up the Band, demonstrating continued engagement with narrative construction and material animation. His unsuccessful 1941 Guggenheim Fellowship application proposed further development of animation and film. A second application in 1949 again focused on sculpture. In 1954 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for sculpture and later became Mary Lyon Professor of Art at Mount Holyoke College.

After emigrating to the United States, Rox’s imagery gained broader visibility through American publishing networks under Henry Luce and Condé Nast, with circulation in major magazines including Life, Vogue, Mademoiselle, Seventeen, Harper’s Bazaar, and McCall’s. The 8 x 10 format of many prints from this period corresponds to the standard American editorial and advertising submission scale of the late 1930s thru the early1950s.

The present print bears the estate stamp, confirming its printing during his American academic period,

Following Rox’s death in 1967, the contents of his studio and residence were dispersed after the later death of Lotte Rox. A substantial portion — approximately 300–500 lifetime prints — was salvaged and preserved. No known negatives are extant. These prints therefore constitute the primary surviving material evidence of his photo-sculptural practice.

Rox’s work has recently undergone renewed institutional reassessment, including a 2021 exhibition at Fotohof, Salzburg; the inclusion of material from the “Banana Circus” series at the Bonartes Photo Institute in Vienna (December 2025 – February 2026); and participation in Berlin’s European Month of Photography.i

More than illustration, Rox’s photographs are distinctive examples of 20th-century photographic narrative—deeply informed by European modernism, exile, reinvention, and extraordinary technical discipline.

Condition Report

Vintage silver gelatin print with strong tonal range. Minor edge wear and slight corner softness consistent with age. Light surface handling marks visible under raking light. Estate stamp verso. Presented in later archival mat and frame; frame not original to the work. Overall very good vintage condition.