us-005578-irn515841-irn515860
biographical history: Peter Max Victor was born in Munich, Germany, on April 19, 1920, the only child of Carl Nathan and Elsa Alexander Victor. Carl was born in Gusten on May 1, 1879, to Louis (1832-1901) and Henrietta Pels Victor (1850-1940). Carl had a sister, Rebecca (1881-1970) who married a gentile, Gustav Adler (1882-1958), and had two sons. Elsa was born on December 25, 1888. Carl served in the Germany Army during World War I (1914-1918.) Carl was a poet and chemist and owner of a food dye and preservatives factory. Elsa worked with the business. In 1924, the family moved to Berlin. The family was well off and Jewish, but not especially observant. After the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship in Germany in 1933, anti-Jewish legislation and restrictions became increasingly harsh. Carl’s business was not restricted and it converted to produce war rations for the Army. After the Kristallnacht destruction of November 9-10, 1938, the family decided to leave Germany. They bought tickets for Shanghai, China, because it was an open port with no visa requirements. Peter left Germany on May 15, 1939, and arrived in Shanghai on June 14. Carl sold the family’s furniture and his factory. Jews could take almost no money out of Germany. Carl entrusted the sale proceeds to a friend who said he would transfer it to a bank in Shanghai, but never did. Carl and Elsa arrived in Shanghai in June 1939 on the Conte Rosso. They lived together in a small room, but life was difficult because they were penniless. Peter worked odd jobs in a hospital and community kitchen. Both of his parents contracted tropical diseases. Carl died, 61, of amoebic dysentery on November 29, 1940. Elsa developed diabetes because of the lack of adequate food and, at age, 54, passed away on May 9, 1942. Peter had to move to Hongkew ghetto in 1943 and got a job as a lifeguard at Hongkew Park, a country club for the elite of the Japanese occupation authorities. The war in Europe ended with Germany's surrender on May 7, 1945. Shan…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Rectangular clutch made from a single piece of thin leather dyed dark blue with an embossed floral design that has turned brown from age/use. The angled front flap has a flat tip and a stamped label with a German word. A small narrow leather band is woven through the center, under the flap. The front and back are sewn together with black thread; the right side has separated. The interior is lined with deteriorated gray felt and silk like yellow cloth.
scope and content: Dark blue leather clutch brought from Berlin that belonged to Peter Victor who lived as a refugee from Nazi Germany in Shanghai, China, from 1938-1947. Peter, age 18, left to escape the anti-Jewish policies of the Nazi-led government. His parents, Carl and Elsa, arrived in Shanghai in 1939. This purse may have originally belonged to his mother. Carl died in 1940 and Elsa in 1942. Shanghai was liberated by the United States Army on September 3, 1945. With the aid of the American Joint Distribution Committee, Peter emigrated to America in December 1947.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
record resource extent: overall: Height: 5.375 inches (13.653 cm) | Width: 9.500 inches (24.13 cm) | Depth: 0.500 inches (1.27 cm)
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn515841-irn515860/alternateIDs/1
has or had holder: us-005578
archival history: The clutch was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Arleen Tievsky, as executor of the Estate of Peter Victor.
identifier: irn515860
is or was included in: us-005578-irn515841
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn515841-irn515860/acquisitions/1
type: RecordSet
title: Blue leather clutch with a floral design used by a German Jewish refugee
has or had some members with language: deu
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: before 1939
has record set type: Item