us-005578-irn639316-irn652079
type: RecordSet
archival history: The mustard pot 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: Pewter pot with a square base, short stem, and hinged, bell-shaped lid. The top of the lid has an oblong, pointed finial that is bent slightly backwards. Circling the finial is an embossed band of decorative acanthus leaves. On the right side of the lid is a small, rectangular cutout. The back of the lid has a hinge with a seashell-shaped thumbpiece connecting it to a curved, double-scroll handle with a ridge down the center. The pot has a goblet-shaped bowl with a decorative band of embossed upwards-facing acanthus leaves at the bottom. The bowl sits atop a conical stem that flares outward to a square base. On the underside, the base and stem are hollow, and there is a manufacturing mark at the center, featuring a winged figure, holding a pair of scales in one hand and a palm in the other. Both the interior and exterior of the vessel are tarnished and the surface is scratched on the interior.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: after 1800-before 1900
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: irn652079
is or was included in: us-005578-irn639316
record resource extent: overall: Height: 5.250 inches (13.335 cm) | Width: 3.875 inches (9.843 cm) | Depth: 3.000 inches (7.62 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Pewter mustard pot owned by the Frank family. Otto Frank was one of three children born to Michael and Alice Frank in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He had three siblings, Robert, Herbert, and Helene. Michael had founded a family banking business, which his wife and sons took over after his death in 1909. Helene moved to Basel, Switzerland, with her husband in 1931, and Herbert immigrated to France in 1932. 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. Shortly thereafter, Robert immigrated to England, and Otto immigrated to the Netherlands with his wife, Edith, and two daughters, Anne and Margot. In October 1933, Alice joined Helene in Basel. The Netherlands was invaded by Germany in May 1940, and Otto’s family went into hiding in July 1942. They were discovered and arrested in August 1944, and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in German-occupied Poland. Otto was the only one of the four to survive the Holocaust, and returned to Amsterdam in June 1945. While rebuilding his life, Otto married Fritzi Geireinger, a former neighbor whose daughter he had met while in Auschwitz. Otto joined the rest of his family in Basel in 1952, and married Fritzi the following year. Otto published the diary his daughter, Anne, had used to document their time in hiding, and devoted the rest of his life to fighting for human rights and organized international youth conferences.
title: Pewter mustard pot owned by Otto Frank