us-005578-irn560500-irn561942
type: RecordSet
archival history: The puppet was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017 by Marie Hammerling, the daughter of Albert Guenther Hess.
biographical history: Albert Günther Hess (1909-1993) was born in Pirna, Germany, to Gustav (1862-1923) and Hermione (Hermine) Bauer Hess (1874-1955). He had two siblings, a brother, Manfred (1898-1980) and a sister, Isabella Ilse (1897-1985). The Hess family was a prominent Jewish family in Pirna. Gustav was a chemist and founded the Gustav Hess Chemical Factory in 1895. The factory specialized in the production of black enamel and oil varnishes used in the production of telephones, cameras, and the German Iron Cross medal. The Hess family was not particularly religious and were well assimilated into the community. In 1923, Gustav died suddenly and Albert's older brother Manfred took over the chemical factory. Albert's sister, Isabella married Alfred Rosenstern (1888-1960, later Roston). Music and film were two of Albert’s passions to which he devoted much of his time. He studied the piano for ten years, organ for one year, and could play the organ, flute, oboe, clarinet, and recorder. Albert wrote and published several papers, studies, and books on music. In the 1930s, Albert also began making travel and family films on 9.5mm stock. In 1928, Albert graduated from the König-Georg-Gymnasium in Dresden. He then studied law in Hamburg, Bonn, Berlin, Leipzig and London. In 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. The German authorities passed many anti-Semitic laws that isolated and restricted the everyday lives of the Jewish community. Albert worked for the Ministry of Justice in Dresden until July 1933, when he was fired for being Jewish. In 1934, Albert earned his doctorate from the University of Leipzig. He then went to work as a legal advisor for his family’s business. In 1935, in Brussels, Belgium, Albert married Anni Ilse Zobel (b. 1914) from Dresden. In December 1937, Albert immigrated to Belgium and began work as the Gustav Hess Chemical Factory’s representative to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. He held this position until the end of 1939 when the company was …
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Handmade hand puppet with a papier-mâché head and a rectangular blue fabric body that tapers in at the top. The head is wide and round with two protruding, pointed ears, and is painted with a mixture of blue, green and black with the colors overlapping and fading into each other. The face is white with two large, yellow eyes outlined in black and a centered, black beak. The head tapers down to a thin papier-mâché neck that is wrapped around a cylindrical cardboard tube. The body is formed from two pieces of cloth sewn together with blue thread in plain side seams with a hemmed lower opening for a hand. The body has horizontal raised lines in the fabric. The fabric at the top of the body is open and folded inward. The head sits in the opening and the neck is attached to the fabric with a red and gold colored string. The cloth protrudes out just below the head to form two short arms. The left arm has two large tears and the back has several tears. The cloth is stained with bits of ink and white residue.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has beginning date: 1956-01-01
has end date: 1957-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 000153
has or had subject: 1980
has or had subject: 162
has or had subject: 334
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn561942
is or was included in: us-005578-irn560500
record resource extent: overall: Height: 15.500 inches (39.37 cm) | Width: 7.375 inches (18.733 cm) | Depth: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Handmade, papier-mâché hand puppet of an owl created by Albert Guenther Hess in New York as a way to cope with his experiences as a Holocaust survivor and soldier in World War II. Albert Guenther Hess’s family owned a successful chemical factory in the town of Pirna, Germany. Albert studied law, but also had a passion for music and film. In 1933, Albert was fired from his legal position in the Ministry of Justice because he was Jewish. He then took a position as a legal advisor for his family’s business. In 1937, he began working in Belgium as a representative for his family’s company. On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded Belgium and Albert, a German national, was arrested by the Belgian police and detained in Saint Cyprien. He was then sent to Gurs, and Les Milles detention camps in France by the Germans. In February 1941, Albert was released, and traveled to Marseilles. He immigrated to the United States and arrived in New York in March 1941. In 1943, Albert was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served as a translator and investigator for the military intelligence unit of the 44th Infantry Division. His unit assisted in the liberation of Dachau where Albert photographed and documented camp atrocities. Afterwards, he acted as a German translator and interviewer for Nazi prisoners, including Hermann Göring. Albert returned to the United States in 1945 and later served as a secretary for the United Nations.
title: Owl head hand puppet made by a German Jewish Holocaust survivor and World War II veteran