Lili Réthi

Lili Réthi (November 19, 1894 – 1969) was an artist and illustrator. Born in Vienna, Austria, she left Germany to avoid a commission from Hermann Göring glorifying the Third Reich. She eventually became an American citizen. Réthi illustrated over 50 books during her career and her works are included in major galleries and museums. She is particularly known for her drawings of building and construction projects such as the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge.

Early life Réthi was born in Vienna, Austria. In 1917 Réthi enrolled in the Art School for Women and Girls (Kunstschule für Frauen und Mädchen) in Vienna, Austria, where she studied under Otto Friedrich, a Jugendstil painter. Although she identified herself as a Social Democrat,

She moved to London and created illustrations for two posters in the late 1930s. She traveled to the United States in 1939 to illustrate the World’s Fair for The Illustrated London News and applied to citizenship upon arrival.

One of Réthi’s best-known projects in the United States was her documentation through drawing of the construction of the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge, which connected Staten Island and Brooklyn. 34 of these drawings were exhibited in the 1964 World’s Fair New York City Pavilion.

Réthi illustrated over 50 books during her career, the Museum of the City of New York, The Postal Museum in London, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive collection. The Lili Réthi Papers are held in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.