us-005578-irn518514-irn38398
type: RecordSet
archival history: The toy figure was donated to the United States Holocaust Museum in 2006 by Stanley A. Baker, the son of Ross Baker.
biographical history: Ross Allen Baker (1886-1978) was born in Greencastle, Indiana, to Philip and Luemma Baker (née Allen). Ross received a BA in chemistry in 1906 from DePauw University and a PhD in 1914 from the University of Wisconsin. He married Helen Fredericka Porter (1889-1964) on December 30, 1914. The couple had five sons: Philip Schaffner (1916-1986), Porter (1918-1987), Frederick Ross (1920-?), Stanley Allen (1921-?), and Raymond Davis (1921-1958). Ross held various teaching positions at universities throughout the United States and England. He was a national counselor in chemistry for the Boy Scouts of America, and helped write the merit badge booklet. During World War I (1914-1918), Ross served in the Chemical Warfare Service, specializing in the use of mustard gas. He later became active in efforts to have nations ban the use of biological and chemical weapons in the League of Nations, and later in the United Nations. In 1928, he was a US delegate for an International Union of Chemistry meeting at the League of Nations, and in 1938, he was a US delegate to the International Congress of Chemistry in Rome, Italy. In 1930, Ross began teaching at the College of the City of New York, and in 1937, he was given a sabbatical leave to take courses in microchemistry at the University of Vienna. Ross, his wife, and their sons lived in Vienna during the academic year 1937-1938. The boys attended school while in Europe and the family travelled during the summers. During that time, Austria was in the midst of an economic depression, which facilitated the growth of antisemitic and pro-Nazi sentiments. The Baker family was in the city on March 13, 1938, when Austria was annexed into Germany, in what became known as the"Anschluss" Helen kept a detailed diary describing what she saw as Austria was absorbed into Nazi Germany. The university closed temporarily, so Ross took his 16mm camera to film the events of the Anschluss and its aftermath in Vienna. As an American delegate to a convention…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Toy figurine in the form of a white man in a green uniform and hat with a red armband with a black swastika. He is crouching on one knee and holding a long weapon, which has been broken so only a wire remains. The trademark Elastolin is pressed into the brown painted base underside. Elastolin is a composite material made from sawdust, clay and glue.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has beginning date: 1937-01-01
has end date: 1938-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn38398
is or was included in: us-005578-irn518514
record resource extent: overall: Height: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Green uniformed Wehrmacht (German Army) toy soldier figure acquired for the sons of Ross and Helen Baker in prewar Vienna, Austria. The toy was one of a series of Nazi themed figurines created by O. & M. Hausser in the 1930s. Ross was a chemist and professor at the City University of New York. In 1937, he received a sabbatical leave to study at the University of Vienna and moved there with his wife and five sons. During this time, the family witnessed many historic events, such as the Anschluss and its aftermath in Vienna, visits by Hitler and other German officials, and the defacement and boycotting of Jewish businesses. On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Vienna and, the next day, Austria was incorporated into Nazi Germany. The German enacted anti-Jewish laws immediately. On April 10, there was a popular vote on the merger and 99% of the population voted Yes in support of Hitler as Fuhrer. Jews were among those who had already been stripped of their rights as citizens, including the right to vote.
title: Toy Nazi Wehrmacht figurine in a green uniform crouching with a rifle acquired by a US family in Vienna