Rauschwald, Mark, 1908-1985

Mark Benjamin Rauschwald, the son of recent immigrants from Poland, was born in 1908 and grew up in New York City. After attending Cooper Union, Rauschwald joined the Commercial Artists and Designers Union and worked as a graphic artist. He sailed for Spain in March 1937, where he served in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion at Jarama and Brunete. He was wounded at Brunete. Rauschwald later worked with the Cultural Commission and in the Censors Office in Albacete. After returning to the States in December 1938, Rauschwald resumed his career as an artist. He continued to paint and draw throughout his life, often basing his work on political and socially progressive themes. Artwork that he produced in Spain was included in an exhibit put on by the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB) as a fundraising benefit in 1963. Rauschwald died in San Diego in 1985.

From the guide to the Mark Rauschwald Papers, 1896-1980, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)