Lionel Kalish was a prolific illustrator and painter who studied at the Cooper Union. His style is characterized by a "modern-naive" or folk-art aesthetic, blending vibrant colors with playful, often surreal imagery. During the 1960s and 70s, he was a prominent figure in the New York illustration scene, represented by the agency Cullen Rapp (now known as Rapp|Art), whose contact information appears at the bottom of the poster.

Kalish created several of these "Lesson" posters, including The Yiddish Lesson, The Italian Lesson, and The French Lesson. Rather than being a literal language guide, these posters are decorative works of art. They feature a collage of eccentric characters and objects labeled with their names in the target language to create a charming, pseudo-educational atmosphere.