us-005578-irn53803-irn83867
type: RecordSet
archival history: The lace was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by Audrey Eisenmann and Geoffrey Eisenmann, the niece and nephew of Irene Schweizer.
biographical history: Irene Regensburger was born on July 18, 1905, in Plauen, Germany, to Leonhard and Jella Furth Regensburger. Leonhard was born on July 12, 1858, and Jella on January 25, 1879, both in Eppingen. Leonhard had been a silk and textile merchant in France for twenty years and had acquired French citizenship. He had returned to Saxony because he wanted a German wife. He became a partner in a drapery manufacturing factory in Plauen. Jella and Leonhard married on September 30, 1903, and moved to Plauen. When Leonhard retired in 1912, the family moved back to Eppingen. On April 11, 1914, Leonhard died of cancer. On December 5, 1919, Jella married Nathan Karlsruher who had been her first love. However, Nathan, the oldest brother of twelve, had not been able to marry until he had helped all his sisters wed. The family moved to Mannheim. Irene changed her last name to Regensburger-Karlsruher. Jella had another child, Ruth, on July 30, 1922. The family lived very well, with dressmakers and servants. Irene excelled at school and graduated in 1922 at age 17. She then got a job at a bank. On May 27, 1927, she married Friedrich Schweizer. Friedrich, born on August 20, 1891, was a veteran of World War i (1914-1918.) He was employed as a manager at Deutsche Bank and, since he earned more than minimum wage, Irene was legally required to leave her job. Friedrich had two sisters, Celia and Rose, who emigrated from Germany. In January 1933, Hitler came to power in Germany and anti-Jewish laws were enacted almost immediately. On September 19, 1933, the couple had a son, Hans, who was born profoundly deaf. Irene’s stepfather, Nathan, died on October 21, 1933. Her mother Jella and step-sister Ruth moved in with Irene and her family. When Hans was older, he was sent to a school for deaf children in Berlin. In 1936, Friedrich was fired from his job because he was Jewish. On November 10, 1938, during Kristallnacht, two Nazis entered the apartment and took Friedrich. A few hours later, more Nazis …
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Rectangular white lace doily with a center rectangle of intricate lace connecting stitched flowers, thick vines, and leaves with centers formed from different stitch types. There is a wide border of open net lace with an inner pattern of small flowers and pairs of dots and an outer border of a vine with large flowers. The corners have diagonal seams.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: approximately 1903-1912, 1939 July
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn83867
is or was included in: us-005578-irn53803
record resource extent: overall: Height: 8.500 inches (21.59 cm) | Width: 12.500 inches (31.75 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: White lace sample doily saved by 34 year old Irene Schweizer, who fled Germany on a Kindertransport with her 6 year old son Hans in July 1939, joining her husband in England. The lace was acquired by Irene’s father, Leonhard Regensburger (1858-1914), who was a silk and textiles merchant France for many years before becoming a partner in a linen manufacturing company in Plauen, Germany. When Hitler rose to power in Germany in January 1933, Irene lived in Mannheim, with her husband, Friedrich Schweizer. Irene’s stepfather, Nathan Karlsruher, died in October 1933 and Irene’s mother and half-sister, Jella and Ruth Karlsruher, 11, moved in with them. In 1936, Friedrich was fired from his job as a bank manager because he was Jewish. During Kristallnacht on November 10, 1938, Friedrich was arrested and sent to Dachau. Nazi party supporters invaded their home and destroyed their belongings. In January 1939, Friedrich was released. Irene made arrangements for him to go to England in June. In July, Irene picked up Hans, from his school for the deaf in Berlin to go to England. They emigrated to the United States in March 1940 and settled in Chicago. Irene arranged for her mother and sister to get to America in September 1940.
title: White floral netted lace rectangular doily saved a German Jewish prewar emigre