Jewish family in Vienna, 1938
Creator(s)
- Michelle Shelfer
- Helen Breger (Subject)
- Nanette Jordan
Biographical History
Helen Hamerman Breger, a native of Vienna, spent some of World War II with her parents and siblings in a Jewish internment camp in Trinidad. After the war's end, the family moved to New York with a young American soldier whom Ms. Breger later married. The couple raised two daughters in San Francisco. Ms. Breger attended the Art Students League of New York, the San Francisco Art Institute and the California College of Arts and Crafts, where she earned a master's degree in fine arts and taught for 33 years before retiring in 1988. From 1954 to 1960, she worked as a freelance artist for The San Francisco Chronicle, drawing illustrations of the latest fashions stocked by the luxury stores of the day. She was the subject of a one-hour documentary in 2012, "Vienna in the Heavenlies," made by one of her daughters, filmmaker Michelle Shelfer. Ms. Breger continued to mount exhibitions until her death in October 2013.
Scope and Content
Helen Hamerman in a hat and long coat on the streets of Vienna. She lived on Mariahilferstrasse. A sign reads, “FONTANA miralulbandlsgeschaft MEZZANIN,” with a small swastika in the upper left corner. She and another woman walk alongside a man, their arms linked. They all smile as they walk down the street. On a busy Vienna street a shop sign reads, “käsebäckerei.” [black for 15 seconds] Man seen earlier stands in front of a shop with a sign that reads, “VOLKSLESEHALLE FILM UND KINO ABTEILUNG.” He walks towards the camera and removes his hat. He observes the city. A couple climb into their car, followed by two other women. They exit the car on another street, the first woman waving as she walks away with the man. CU of Helen and another woman. They stand with their luggage on the steps of the building, fleeing from Vienna to Trinidad. A bellboy goes past. They smile.
Note(s)
Michelle Shelfer used this family footage in a documentary about her mother called "Vienna in the heavenlies."
Subjects
- CITIES
- AUTOMOBILES
- FAMILIES
- JEWISH LIFE (PRE-WAR)
- SWASTIKAS
- JEWS
Places
- Vienna, Austria
Genre
- Amateur.
- Film