Wladyslaw Theodor Benda

Benda, Wladyslaw T.: recruiting posterWorld War I recruiting poster by Wladyslaw T. Benda urging Polish Americans to join the Polish army, 1917.

Wladyslaw Theodor Benda (born Jan. 15, 1873, Poznań, Pol.—died Nov. 30, 1948, Newark, N.J., U.S.) was a Polish American painter, illustrator, and designer.

Benda studied art in Kraków, Pol., and in Vienna before coming to the United States in 1899. He settled in New York City, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1911. Benda’s illustrations were published in books and in a number of magazines. He is best remembered for his masks, which were used in theatre and dance performances throughout the world. Benda wrote the book Masks (1944).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.