Allach gold-ringed porcelain vase with presentation box found in the Reichstag, Berlin
Extent and Medium
a: Height: 14.620 inches (37.135 cm) | Diameter: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm)
b: Height: 5.750 inches (14.605 cm) | Width: 5.750 inches (14.605 cm) | Depth: 15.750 inches (40.005 cm)
Creator(s)
- Porzellan-Manufaktur Allach-München (Artisan)
- Ronald M. Hubbs (Subject)
Biographical History
Ronald M. Hubbs was born on April 27, 1908, in Silverton, Oregon. He was the son of George W. and Ethel Burch Hubbs. In 1936, after earning his BA at the University of Oregon, he joined the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company. By 1941, he had joined the United States Amy and graduated from the Army’s Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas. During World War II, Hubbs served in the Army Intelligence Division in the Pentagon and North Africa, as well as in Europe, where he worked for the Censorship Sub-Division. He was a recipient of the Legion of Merit, and was discharged with the rank of colonel. He contnued serving in the US Army Reserves, from which he retired in 1968. After the war, Hubbs resumed his career with the St. Paul Fire and Marine's Insurance Co and retired as chairman of the board. Hubbs was married to Margaret Stewart Jamie for 61 years. He died on November 25, 1996, in St. Paul, Minnesota, at the age of 88.
Archival History
The Allach porcelain vase was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2008 by Margaret Hubbs, the widow of Ronald M. Hubbs.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the family of Ronald M. Hubbs
Scope and Content
Allach presentation vase, model # 500, found by Colonel Ronald M. Hubbs in an office in the Reichstag in Berlin following the capture of the city in May 1945 at the end of World War II. The Allach porcelain factory was one of the SS's (Schutzstaffel; Protection Squadrons) first industrial enterprises, under the direct control of Heinrich Himmler. The factories were sub-camps of Dachau concentration camp, with camp inmates supplying the forced labor. Although the Reichstag was not used for Parliament sessions after the infamous 1933 fire, it was used for ceremonies. Himmler was believed to have stored Allach vases there to use as presentation gifts. Colonel Hubbs was a member of the United States Army, Intelligence Division, when he served in Berlin.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
a. Tall, slender, pear shaped, white porcelain vase with a flared opening with a gold painted rim and a sloping, circular base. There are concentric, painted, gold bands around the body and base. The base is detachable. b. Rectangular, black colored, cardboard box with a removable lid with cream colored edges. The interior of the box is lined with orange velvet-like cloth. The interior of the lid is lined with red paper. Pressure-sensitive tape reinforces the box at the seams.
Corporate Bodies
- Porzellan-Manufaktur Allach-München
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Germany--Concentration camps--Germany--Dachau.
- Soldiers--United States.
- World War, 1939-1945--Germany--Berlin.
- World War, 1939-1945--Conscript labor--Germany.
- World War, 1939-1945--Europe--End.
Genre
- Object
- Decorative Arts