David and Lena (Liza) Kurtz travelled to Europe from New York in 1938. Both were born in Poland and emigrated to the U.S. in the 1890s. David founded the American Blouse Company in the 1920s, later named the David Kurtz Shirt Company. The couple had three children. While abroad in 1938, David took 16mm film of the trip, including color street scenes of a Jewish quarter in Nasielsk, Poland (David and Louis's hometown). The trip was made with three friends, Louis and Lillian Malina, and Louis's sister, Essie Malina Diamond, who appear frequently on camera. David died in 1958; Liza lived to the age of 96.
See also RG-60.4830 for similar footage in color from this collection.
LS of the four American travelers posing beside a tree in front of an unidentified building, probably in Amsterdam on July 31 or August 1, 1938. Louis Malina is smoking and waving to the camera. Street life in Volendam, Netherlands. Volendam is a popular tourist attraction in the Netherlands, well known for its old fishing boats and the traditional clothing still worn by some residents. The women's costume of Volendam, with its high, pointed bonnet, is one of the most recognizable of the Dutch traditional costumes. Pan views of boats docked in the Volendam harbor. People and children, some in traditional dress with paper hats, often look toward the camera and pose.
Touring Volendam