Mosquito

In the 1920s, a satirical magazine "Komar" [Mosquito] was published irregularly in Lublin. Its publisher and editor was Tadeusz Marcińczyk, writing under the pseudonym Temark. Thanks to him, as early as in 1910, two issues of the humorous one-day magazine "Jeż" [Hedgehog] came out from the press of the Pośpieszna Printing House in Lublin. Probably the periodical was to be continued with the biweekly "Komar", which started to be published in 1922. The originator of both magazines remained faithful to the name referring to the "prickly" creatures.

"Komar" was prepared for typesetting in the printing houses "Udziałowa", "Ziemiańska" and then "Ludowa". Its editorial office was located on Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. In May 1925, Józef Sadzikowski became the publisher. Six months later, the last issue was published.

The twelfth issue of 1 September 1925, was a biting commentary on the current situation in the world, the country and the city, as befits a satirical magazine. The cover featured a satire on the ongoing international negotiations, which were finally signed in October of that year in Locarno, Switzerland. The agreements, which were unfavourable to Poland, were illustrated by a Frenchman tied to a pole with the inscription "Guarantee Pact", his mouth covered and silently approving of the struggle between a German and a Polish and a Bolshevik soldier visible in the background. The series of drawings depicts in an equally hilarious way the investments of the American company "Ulen & Company" in Lublin, forecast by the publishers of "Komar" until 2125!

These and other humorous illustrations added colour to the stories and jokes on the pages of "Komar", which dealt with various social and moral issues.