us-005578-irn49786-irn13634
type: RecordSet
archival history: The gouache was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1999.
biographical history: Nelly Landau (later Toll) was born in 1933 in Lwow in the Galicia region of Poland (now L’viv, Ukraine), to Jewish parents, Sygmunt and Rozia Landau. Rozia was born in Lwow on January 2, 1909, to Henry and Fanny Lauerstein Reicher. Nelly's father owned several rental properties and the family was well-to-do and cultivated. Nelly's brother Janek was born in 1937. It was a large, close extended family, and many relatives lived nearby. They were part of the Mieses family, which had a rabbinical heritage extending to the 18th century. In September 1939, Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Lwow was in the eastern region, which was placed under Soviet control per the German-Soviet Pact. Her father Sygmunt, went into hiding, fearing that, as a wealthy property owner, he would be arrested. The Soviets nationalized or forced the closing of many businesses, closed religious organizations, and deported many residents to distant regions of the Soviet Union. In June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The mood at first was celebratory, as the Soviets departed. Then Lwow was captured on June 30. During the first days of July, nearly 4000 Jews were murdered in a pogrom carried out by German Einsatzgruppen, known as killing squads, Ukrainian nationalists, and local residents. Jewish homes were vandalized and synagogues destroyed. There was another pogrom at the end of July, killing at least 2000. Around November, Nelly, her parents, and brother were confined in the Jewish ghetto. Nelly's father paid to have a Catholic peasant family outside the ghetto hide Nelly, then ten. After a brief stay, Nelly was returned to her family because it was too dangerous to keep her. While she was gone, her brother Janek, 5, was taken away and murdered during a Children’s Aktion. An aunt and a cousin were also taken during this selection. In March 1942, the Germans began mass deportations. Nelly and her mother were part of a large group that tried to flee to Hungary, but th…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Child’s painting in watercolor and gouache with pencil on wove paper of a young boy and girl in black and white school uniforms, with backpacks, holding hands while standing in a large, gray cobblestoned city square. Trolley tracks and a partial orange trolley run across the middle of the square. On the other side of the square is a row of 5 large multi-story buildings in muted browns and blues; the one on the left is marked SZKOLA (School.) Four black silhouetted figures walk on the sidewalk. On the back is a pencil sketch of 2 women, not reviewed because the drawing is matted. front, lower left corner, black paint : 1944 Lwo'w
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: Restrictions on use
date: 1944 January-1944 July
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: pol
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn13634
is or was included in: us-005578-irn49786
record resource extent: overall: Height: 5.625 inches (14.288 cm) | Width: 7.750 inches (19.685 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Colorful gouache of a young boy and girl on their way to school painted by Nelly Landau, 10, when she and her mother Rozia lived in hiding in German occupied Lwow, Poland, (now L'viv, Ukraine) from June 1943-July 1944. While in hiding, Nelly often watched the local children going to Catholic school. She was careful to hide behind the curtain, so she was not seen. Nelly dreamed of one day having friends and going to school. For thirteen months, Nelly and her mother had to stay in a small, locked hiding space. Her mother arranged for a neighbor to get Nelly a watercolor set and encouraged Nelly to paint and write. Nelly painted 64 paintings in hiding, all colorful pictures of happy people in imaginary scenes. Lwow was occupied by Germany on June 30, 1941, and thousands of Jews were murdered by German killing squads and local supporters. In November, Nelly, her parents Sygmunt and Rozia, and younger brother Janek were confined to the ghetto. Her father paid to hide Nelly with a peasant family, but they soon sent her back because it was too dangerous. During that time, her brother, 5, was killed during a children's round-up. Around June 1943, Sygmunt persuaded former tenants, a Christian Polish couple, Krysia and Michaj Wojtek, to hide Nelly and Rozia. The ghetto was liquidated that July. The city was liberated by the Soviet Army in July 1944. Sygmunt was presumed killed. Nelly and Rozia were the only survivors of their large extended family.
title: Watercolor of 2 children in a city square by a Jewish Polish girl in hiding