A sheet of five Iranian propaganda postcards

A sheet of five Iranian propaganda postcards from a series of six postcards produced during the Second World War. Drawn by political cartoonist, Kimon Evan Marengo (better known as 'Kem'), the scenes in the postcards are based on the famous Iranian epic Shahnameh, (the Book of Kings). Shahnameh was compiled by the tenth century Iranian poet, Firdowsi from oral traditions and surviving manuscripts to create an epic poem of 50,000 rhyming couplets.

The postcards reinterpret a part of the Shahnameh, well known to the people of Iran. Jamshid, who reigned over Iran for 700 years, was dethroned by the tyrant Zahhak, who was seduced by Iblis, a demon (who became his cook and taught him to eat meat). Serpentine heads sprouted from Zahhak's shoulders after being embraced by Iblis, which had to be fed on human sacrifice.

Zahhak reigned for one thousand years after sawing Jamshid in half, but he dreamt of being in chains and he knew he would be overthrown. An ironworker named Kavah tried to seek justice for his people during an audience with Zahhak, but to no avail. So he requested Feridun, the rightful heir to the throne, to leave his hiding place and claim his throne. Despite his desire for revenge, Feridun did not kill Zahhak. Instead he chained him to the summit of Mount Demavand near Tehran.

In 1942 the British decided to base some propaganda on this well known poem. Zahhak became Hitler, with the serpent's heads being Tojo and Mussolini and Iblis is shown as Geobbels. In Zahhak's (Hitler's) dream of foreboding you see three warriors, who will depose him - drawn as Churchill (representing Feridun), Roosevelt and Stalin.

The postcards read from right to left and the final postcard, depicting Zahhak (Hitler) being chained (or possibly nailed) to a rock is missing from the set.