“The Dreadful Story about Harriet and the Matches”
from Der Struwwelpeter (1845) a popular German children’s book by Heinrich Hoffmann.
Hoffmann was the German precursor to Charles Addams, writing and illustrating short stories/poems for children that can only be described as violent and bizarre. Judging by his popularity, both children and adults loved them (and still do) and he was translated into many languages. Mark Twain’s English translation was published posthumously, and he took some liberties to make the stories rhyme.
Check out Hoffman’s “Die Geschichte vom Daumenlutscher” or “The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb.”
Hoffman, besides being a writer of satire for both children and adults, despised authoritarianism (he even did a lampoon of Adolf Hitler), worked as a psychiatrist in an insane asylum treating paupers. His Wiki bio is interesting.
[Image and caption found here; Our non-comprehensive Archive of "Contributions To The World" here.]
