us-005578-irn639316-irn652078
type: RecordSet
archival history: The tablecloth was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Ryan M. Cooper, a friend of Otto Frank.
biographical history: Otto Frank (1889-1980) was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to Michael (1851-1909) and Alice Betty (nee Stern, 1865-1953) Frank. Otto had three siblings, Robert (1886-1953), Herbert (1891–1987), and Helene (later Elias, 1893-1986). Michael owned a bank, and the family lived a privileged lifestyle, practicing a liberal form of Judaism. The Frank children received a quality education, took music lessons, and attended the theater and opera with their parents. After Otto graduated from high school, he spent a year at the University of Heidelberg and then moved to New York City for an internship at Macy’s department store. When Michael died in 1909, Alice took over the bank. Otto returned to Germany in 1911 to support his mother. He enlisted in the army in 1915, and worked in an analysis unit during World War I. By the end of the war in 1918, he had attained the rank of lieutenant and was awarded the Iron Cross for his service. After the war, Otto and his brothers joined the bank. Otto married Edith Holländer (1900-1945) in Aachen on May 8, 1925. They settled in Frankfurt, and had two daughters, Margot (1926-1945) and Anne (1929-1945). In 1931, Otto’s sister, Helene, moved to Basel, Switzerland. There, her husband Erich Elias, established a branch of the pectin manufacturer Opekta-Werke (a subsidiary of Pomosin). In 1932, Otto’s brother, Herbert, immigrated to France. On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. Under Hitler, authorities began suppressing the rights of Jews, and boycotting their businesses. Shortly after, Otto and Edith moved their family to the Netherlands. Otto’s brother, Robert, immigrated to England. In October, Alice left Germany, and joined Helene in Basel. After arriving in Amsterdam, Otto’s brother-in-law, Erich, helped him start a franchise of the Opekta company. Among his new employees were Johannes Kleiman (1896-1959), Victor Kugler (1900-1981), and Miep Santrouschitz (later Gies, 1909-2010). He also hired Bep Vosk…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Rectangular, white, satin weave, cotton tablecloth with a hand-embroidered monogram in one corner. There are two selvedge edges, as well as two machine-stitched, hemmed edges. The tablecloth has a subtle tone-on-tone pattern, visible on both sides, of concentric rectangular bands, created by alternating warp and weft facing weaving. The band around the outside edge is narrow, followed by a medium-width band, a wide band, another medium-width band, and a solid rectangle in the center. In the bottom, right corner is a raised whitework monogram, hand-embroidered in a satin stitch. Three script initials sit inside an elliptical shape with points at the top, bottom, and sides. To the outside of each point is a beaded chevron that creates the impression of a diamond shape. The reverse side of the embroidery is almost as tidy as the front. The fabric is fine and translucent, allowing stains to show on both sides. A small, orange stain is in the corner opposite the monogram, and there are larger, faint yellow stains across the entire tablecloth. On the back, directly on top of the machine stitching near the monogram is a small, black stain resembling a row of stitches. bottom right corner, hand-embroidered, white thread : OFE [Otto and Edith Frank]
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1925 May 08
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 0
has or had subject: 2019
has or had subject: 819
has or had subject: 2
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn652078
is or was included in: us-005578-irn639316
record resource extent: overall: Height: 70.250 inches (178.435 cm) | Width: 68.375 inches (173.673 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Cotton tablecloth, embroidered with the initials of Otto and Edith Frank, gifted to them for their wedding on May 8, 1925. Otto and Edith had two daughters, Margot and Anne, and lived in Frankfurt, Germany. After Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany in January 1933, authorities quickly began suppressing the rights and personal freedoms of Jews, and boycotting their businesses. Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, and under occupation, the Netherlands became subject to the Nuremburg laws. As restrictions continued to tighten, and antisemitism grew, Otto set up a hiding place in the attic of his business. The family moved into their hidden rooms on July 6, 1942, and were later joined by four others. Otto’s most trusted employees, including Miep and Jan Gies, immediately agreed to help them, at great risk to their own safety. The group was discovered and arrested in August 1944, and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in German-occupied Poland. Margot and Anne were transferred to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, where they both died from typhus in March 1945. Edith died in Birkenau on January 6, 1945. Otto was the only one of the group to survive the Holocaust, and he returned to Amsterdam in June 1945. While rebuilding his life, Otto contacted Fritzi Geireinger, a former neighbor whose daughter, Eva (later Schloss), he had met while in Auschwitz. Otto joined the rest of his family in Basel, Switzerland, in 1952, and married Fritzi the following year. Otto devoted the rest of his life to fighting for human rights and organized international youth conferences.
title: Monogrammed tablecloth owned by Otto and Edith Frank