us-005578-irn39212-irn8678
type: RecordSet
archival history: The cut-paper work was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1994 by Jill Shellow on behalf of the Estate of Irene Rosenthal Gibian.
biographical history: Irene Dorothy Rosenthal was born on January 27, 1906, in Vienna, Austria, to Jewish parents, Dr. Laszlo (Ladislaus) and Gisela Leuchtag Rosenthal. She had an older brother, Erich, who was born on September 5, 1905. She was raised in Hamburg, Germany. Her father had a dental office in the lower part of their house. She revealed a talent for art at any early age and received art lessons from her father. The family was well off and enjoyed vacations at the seaside with their extended family. When World War I began in 1914, Irene’s father was conscripted into the Hungarian Army as a doctor and Irene, her brother, and Mother returned to her maternal grandmother’s home in Vienna. Her father was killed during the war. Irene attended the Humanitisches Gymnasium. The loss of her father and the worldwide economic depression meant Irene had to become the family breadwinner and obtain a job rather than attend university to pursue medical and art studies. She became a secretary for a business machine supply company and soon was promoted to a management position. On March 12, 1938, German troops marched over the border into Austria and, the next day, Austria was annexed to the German Reich. A popular vote was held in April and the Anschluss received overwhelming support. Anti-Jewish legislation was passed and Jews were stripped of their civil rights. Seeing her country overrun by German national fanaticism and the suppression of decency, Irene decide to pursue her dream of going to the United States. She had a Slovakian passport in the name Irene Rosenthalova issued in 1939. After two years, she finally obtained permission to leave Germany and a visa to enter the US. She sailed from Genoa, Italy, on the Conte de Savoia on March 20, 1940. She planned to send for her brother and mother after she got settled in her new country. She had a friend in New York City and first settled there. In December 1940, she was in Syracuse, staying at the home of Otto Gibian. Even before the US ente…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Black paper with cut out German text. It is enclosed in paper with a pencilled notation"Scherenschnitte v. Adi Beisler" paper holder, pencil : Scherenschnitte v. Adi Beister [Silhouettes of Adi Beister]
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1940 March
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: deu
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn8678
is or was included in: us-005578-irn39212
record resource extent: overall: Height: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm) | Width: 6.375 inches (16.192 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Cut paper artwork created by Irene Rosenthal. Irene fled Nazi ruled Austria for the United States in March 1940. German troops marched over the border into Austria in March 1938. The next day, Austria was annexed to Nazi Germany. Anti-Jewish legislation was enacted to strip Jews of their civil rights. The November 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom vandalized Jewish businesses and homes and destroyed most of the synagogues in Austria. Irene received a visa to leave Austria in March and sailed that month from Genoa, Italy, to New York.
title: Cut-paper work created by an Austrian Jewish refugee