Spanish Flu Pandemic

When Edvard Munch, the Norwegian artist, created his famous painting The Scream (in 1893), he had no idea that within twenty-five years half the world’s population would suddenly fall ill. His Death in the Sickroom (1895) and The Dead Mother (1899-1900) were eerily prophetic of terrible times to come.

The prolific artist, whose works are still studied and admired, was among the sick during the pandemic years of 1918-19. The malady was “Spanish Flu” - the deadliest disease in recorded history.

Munch’s Self-Portrait Spanish Influenza (1919) depicts an unwell man, but his Self-Portrait After Spanish Influenza shows the ravages of illness. At least he survived.

More than 50 million others did not.

Author: Carole D. Bos, J.D.