us-005578-irn607878-irn183409
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1947-01-01
archival history: The painting was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015 by John B. Rottersman, the son of Rachel Greene Rottersman.
has or had holder: us-005578
has record set type: Item
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/823
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1947-12-31
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Rectangular, impressionist-style painting, set within a decorative white and gold-colored wood frame. In the background, the painting depicts two, large, multi-story buildings in various shades of cream and white with red and brown complex rooflines. In the foreground is a grassy lawn painted in various shades of green, yellow, and brown. Along the edges are medium-sized shrubs, and extending down from the top of the frame are leafy branches. The artist’s signature is painted in the lower right corner. The back of the painting is heavily discolored and stained, and has been remounted and backed with mylar sheeting, making the support materials unidentifiable. Underneath the mylar backing, a paper label has been placed within a mylar envelope. A piece of blue painter’s tape, a modern frame shop sticker, metal hooks, and a hanging wire are attached to the back of the frame. The bottom corners have circular felt bumper pads. back, paper note, handwritten, black ink : UNRRA Children’s Center / Aglasterhausen, Kreis Mosbach / Germany, 1947 back, top left corner, tape, handwritten, black ink : 543 / WIRE 2” back, bottom center, sticker, printed, black ink : frames / Janss Mall/Thousand Oaks, CA / (805)496-1544
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn607878-irn183409/alternateIDs/1
is or was included in: us-005578-irn607878
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
scope and content: Painting of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) Aglasterhausen Children’s Center, in Unterschwarzach (now Schwarzach), Germany, owned by the director, Rachel Greene Rottersman. The children’s center opened in October 1945, and employed UNRRA personnel, skilled staff from the displaced persons (DP) population, and local German maintenance workers. The children lived in a structured environment, received classroom instruction, participated in music and arts, enjoyed planned recreation time, and were responsible for regular chores. The UNRRA ceased its DP operations in June 1947. However, the children’s center remained open with the assistance of the Preparatory Commission of the International Refugee Organisation (PCIRO). During Rachel Green Rottersman’s tenure, between September 1945 and February 1948, 1,000 children had been cared for at Aglasterhausen. Of those, approximately one-third were repatriated to their native countries in Europe, 100 were reunited with their parents in Germany, and 350 were sent to the United States and Canada for adoption or foster care.
biographical history: Rachel Blair Greene (later Rottersman, 1908-1993) was born in Seattle, Washington, to William (1874-1947) and Ada (nee Prall, 1877-1929) Greene. Rachel had three brothers, George (1907-1979), Robert (1912-1993), and William, Jr. (1917-2012). William was a lawyer, and the family lived in a large home. They employed a housekeeper, and owned a local movie theater. At age 12, Rachel and a friend began helping care for children from a local orphanage, and gave clothing to a classmate whose family had recently immigrated to the United States. When Rachel was 14, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer while traveling on the east coast, and Rachel took over as the primary caregiver for her brothers. In 1926, Rachel enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle, and focused on premedical studies at her father’s insistence. During Rachel’s third year, her mother died, leading Rachel to drop out of school. In 1931, Rachel joined a government relief organization, a step that aligned with her teenage dream of becoming a social worker. After multiple federal and state assignments, she resigned in early 1936 and reenrolled at the University of Washington, graduating in December 1936. The following month, she began attending the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. After completing qualifying exams for her Ph.D., Rachel became an assistant professor in social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. In October 1944, Rachel joined the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). After a few months of training, she sailed for Europe and arrived in England in January 1945. Her first assignment was to aid arrivals as part of Team 18 at a displaced persons (DP) camp in Kirchberg, Germany. Rachel then worked at Baumholder DP camp, where she assisted in the repatriation of over 20,000 refugees to their home countries. She also helped combat a typhoid epidemic in the camp. After the camp was closed, Rachel was assign…
title: Painting of an estate given to an UNRRA official
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn607878-irn183409/acquisitions/1
identifier: irn183409
record resource extent: overall: Height: 17.375 inches (44.133 cm) | Width: 23.000 inches (58.42 cm) pictorial area: Height: 15.250 inches (38.735 cm) | Width: 20.750 inches (52.705 cm)
type: RecordSet