us-005578-irn607878-irn183411
type: RecordSet
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.
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…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Rectangular, impressionist-style painting, set into a wide, gray wooden frame with gold accents. In the background, the painting depicts a large brown building with a gabled roof and a single-story, flat-roofed, open-walled extension off the side. The building sits in the middle of a small clearing, with open ground painted in various shades of light green, yellow, white, and gray. In the foreground is a row of low, dark green foliage. On the left edge of the painting is a tree with multiple, split trunks and leafy branches that arch towards the building. In the lower right corner, the artist’s signature is inscribed into the paint. The back of the painting is heavily discolored and stained, and has been remounted and backed with mylar sheeting, making the support materials unidentifiable. Under the mylar backing, a caption is handwritten in the center. A silver frame shop sticker, metal hooks, and a hanging wire are attached to the back of the frame. A large stain extends from the top left corner of the frame, down the left side of the paper backing, and to the bottom left corner of the frame. back, upper left corner, sticker. Printed, black ink : HUETTL’S ART STUDIO / 1506 E. 57th ST., CHICAGO, ILL. / PICTURE FRAMING / HAND CARVING ART MATERIALS / Ph(?)e-Plaza 2536 back, paper support, handwritten, green ink : Gates at entrance of UNRRA / Childrens Center, Aglasterhausen, / Kreis Mosbach, Germany 1947
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has beginning date: 1947-01-01
has end date: 1947-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 823
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn183411
is or was included in: us-005578-irn607878
record resource extent: overall: Height: 21.000 inches (53.34 cm) | Width: 22.375 inches (56.833 cm) | Depth: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm) pictorial area: Height: 14.875 inches (37.783 cm) | Width: 16.375 inches (41.593 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Painting of entrance gates to 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.
title: Painting of a building given to an UNRRA official