Henry F. Kahn collection of Holocaust-era mail

Identifier
irn77424
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1990.183.64
  • 1991.127
  • 1991.225
  • 1992.48
  • 2012.464.1
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • Polish
  • Czech
  • Dutch
  • Portuguese
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

boxes

oversize folder

2

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Henry F. Kahn (1925-2013) lived in Munich with his parents, Paul and Mimi Kahn. The morning following Kristallnacht, the family drove to Stuttgart to obtain visas from the American Consulate. They left for America in January 1939. Kahn served in the United States Army near the end of World War II. His paternal grandmother, Hedwig Kahn (1862-1943), remained in Germany and perished at Theresienstadt.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Henry Kahn, in memory of his grandmother Hedwig Kahn, who like millions of others, had no memorial for her death during the Holocaust

Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Henry F. Kahn donated the Henry F. Kahn collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990, 1991, and 1992. Accessions previously cataloged as 1990.183.1 through 1990.183.63, 1991.127.2 through 1991.127.21, 1991.225.1 through 1991.225.191, and 1992.48 have been incorporated into this collection.

Scope and Content

The Henry F. Kahn collection of Holocaust-era mail primarily consists of envelopes, letters, postcards, and philatelic materials Kahn collected between approximately 1945 and 1985. The materials document mail systems in and around Holocaust-era ghettos and concentration camps and, by extension, the survivors and victims who passed through them or perished in them. Kahn arranged the materials in three annotated scrapbooks, providing context and history for the ghettos, camps, and mail systems. Most of the materials date from the 1930s and 1940s while the reproductions and commentary date from Kahn’s collecting period. The “Concentration camp mail” scrapbook consists primarily of correspondence and envelopes documenting mail systems and prisoners at Buchenwald, Dachau, Oranienburg, and Sachsenhausen from 1934 to 1945. This series also includes a postcard sent from the donor's uncle, Ferdinand Kahn, at Dachau to the donor's grandmother, Hedwig Kahn; a Gestapo summons issued to Ferdinand Kahn; and a post-period picture postcard of Auschwitz. Additional Buchenwald, Oranienburg, and Sachsenhausen materials can be found in Series 2. The “Ghetto and camp mail” scrapbook consists primarily of correspondence and envelopes documenting mail systems and prisoners in ghettos and camps in Germany, Poland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia. This series also includes scrip from the Łódź ghetto and the camps at Buchenwald, Theresienstadt, and Westerbork; postal notes and postage stamps from the Warsaw ghetto; and a ration ticket, lunch ticket, and two medicine bottle labels from the Łódź ghetto. This series further includes a portion of an original letter signed by Otto Frank, two facsimiles of Anne Frank diary entries, and an Anne Frank memorial postage stamp. Additional Buchenwald, Oranienburg, and Sachsenhausen materials can be found in Series 1. Additional Warsaw ghetto and Theresienstadt materials can be found in Series 3. The “Warsaw ghetto and Theresienstadt materials” scrapbook primarily consists of correspondence and envelopes documenting mail systems and prisoners in the Warsaw ghetto and Theresienstadt. This series also includes a photograph of Hedwig Kahn; copy prints and photocopied images of the Warsaw ghetto and its residents; a copy of a map of the Theresienstadt ghetto; identification cards, ration cards, and certificates documenting Emil Cohn's internment in Theresienstadt; tickets for recreational activities in Theresienstadt; and photocopies of Theresienstadt cremation lists. The donor dedicated these materials to the memory of his grandmother, Hedwig Kahn, who perished at Theresienstadt. Additional Warsaw ghetto and Theresienstadt materials can be found in Series 2. The fourth series consists of a single 1939 document of exclusion that was not included in the scrapbooks. This document was issued to Emil Cohn and barred him from German military participation. Additional Emil Cohn materials can be found in all three series above. Printed materials include the November 8, 1938 copy of the Münchner Neuste Nachrichten and two1961-1962 clippings about the Eichmann trial. The Red Cross letter is dated December 9, 1965 and addressed to Henry Kahn.

System of Arrangement

The Henry F. Kahn collection of Holocaust-era mail is arranged as five series: I. Concentration camp mail, approximately 1934-1985 (bulk 1934-1945), II. Ghetto and camp mail, approximately 1938-1985 (bulk 1938-1945), III. Warsaw ghetto and Theresienstadt materials, approximately 1932-1985 (bulk 1940-1945), IV. Document of exclusion, 1939, V. Printed materials, 1938-1962

People

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.