us-005578-irn35818-irn36227
history: The porcelain teacup was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2008 by Nellie Fink, the daughter of Gertrude Wiesenthal.
history: Gertrude Loewenberg (1898-1986, later Wiesenthal) was born in Berlin, Germany, to an assimilated Jewish family. Gertrude’s father, Caesar, had been in the import-export business. Gertrude’s father died young, and her mother, Anna, later married Josef Lehman, a religion teacher. She had two brothers, Walter, a physician, and Fritz, a businessman. In 1920, Gertrude married Fritz Wiesenthal (1893-?), a physician, and they had two daughters, Illa (b. 1921, later Ilse), and Nellie (b.1930, later Fink). Gertrude’s family lived very comfortably. She suffered from an obsessive compulsive neurosis that made her fear she might get her children sick because she thought that she was carrying diseases like polio, meningitis and scarlet fever. This condition controlled much of her life, and she often spent her days washing and cleaning items over and over. She was often away in sanatoriums due to her condition, and when Nellie was very young, Gertrude began living apart from the family much of the time. In 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor, and by that spring, anti-Jewish legislation was in effect. The Nuremburg Race Laws were enacted in 1935, and life for Jews in Germany became increasingly difficult and dangerous. In 1935, Fritz and Gertrude sent their eldest daughter, Illa, to boarding school in England. Soon after, their youngest daughter, Nellie, was no longer permitted to attend public school and she was enrolled in the Goldschmidt School. This school was closer to the home of her paternal grandmother, Ernestine (1873-1947, née Unger), so Nellie moved in with her. German insurance and social security payments to Jews were no longer authorized, which sent Gertrude’s husband’s medical practice into decline. Eventually, Jews were no longer able to practice medicine, and Fritz had to seriously consider emigration. In the spring of 1938, Fritz visited Illa in Brussels, Belgium, on his way to the US. He settled in New York, and lived with Gertrude’s brother while studying for…
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
has record set type: Item
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1924-12-31
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn35818-irn36227/acquisitions/1
has or had holder: us-005578
title: Decorated porcelain teacup saved by a German Jewish prewar refugee
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Circular, glazed, white ceramic teacup with a painted ivy vine motif circling the midpoint of the rounded body, and a rounded loop handle fixed to one side. The dark green leaves are highlighted with brown veins and small sprigs, which extend from a dark brown vine around the body’s widest point. Below the vine, the sides of the cup slope inward to a small, rounded foot ring at the base. Above the vine, the sides slope inward slightly before flaring back out into a rim with a rounded edge. The upper end of the handle is shaped like a bird’s head, possibly a swan, with its open beak gripping the rim. The bird’s neck arches upward before curving down and inward, where it attaches to the body and disrupts the ivy design. The bird’s detailed face at the top and wings near the bottom are molded into the handle’s surface. Centered on the flat, inset underside is a maker’s mark in blue underglaze: crossed swords above a numerical year. The undecorated interior is smooth, except where several long, hairline cracks have become discolored over time. These cracks are also visible on the exterior, but are cosmetic rather than structural.
date: 1939 March
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
is or was included in: us-005578-irn35818
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1815-01-01
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn35818-irn36227/alternateIDs/1
record resource extent: overall: Height: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm) | Width: 3.625 inches (9.208 cm) | Depth: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm)
type: RecordSet
identifier: irn36227
scope and content: Meissen, ivy-patterned teacup brought with Gertrude Wiesenthal when she emigrated from Berlin, Germany. In March 1939, Gertrude joined her husband, Fritz, and daughters, Illa and Nellie, in the United States. The teacup bears the Meissen, crossed swords maker’s mark and the number 44 beneath, which may be a date stamp indicating it was produced in 1844. Pieces bearing the ivy pattern are often accented with gold lines, and the lack of those here may suggest that this is a factory second, which Gertrude enjoyed acquiring. On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. Following the passage of the Nuremberg laws in 1935, Gertrude’s husband, a doctor, began looking for places where the family could immigrate because life was becoming increasingly difficult for Jews in Germany. Later that year, Gertrude and Fritz sent Illa to boarding school in England. When Nellie was no longer allowed to attend public school, she moved to her grandmother Ernestine’s home in order to attend a Jewish school nearby. Eventually, Jews were no longer able to practice medicine, and the family needed to emigrate. In 1938, Fritz left for the US in order to make living arrangements for his family and begin studying for the medical boards he needed to pass in order to practice medicine. He sent for Illa in August 1938, and Nellie arrived in the US escorted by a governess in January 1939. Later in the year, Ernestine arrived in London, England. In late 1942, Ernestine joined her family in the US.