Drawing made by an inmate of Camp Meslay du Maine

Identifier
irn1304
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1989.60.1
Dates
1 Jan 1939 - 31 Dec 1939
Level of Description
Item
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm) | Width: 8.000 inches (20.32 cm)

pictorial area: Height: 9.500 inches (24.13 cm) | Width: 6.250 inches (15.875 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Franz (later Francis, 1909-1984) Reisz was born on April 3, 1909 in Vienna Austria to Hermann and Anna Reisz. Franz was trained as an artist and a painter. He married Lili Reisz (née Safir, born July 25, 1911) on May 31, 1938. They lived in Vienna, Austria until June 1939 when they moved to Paris, France. In September 1939 Frank Reisz was arrested and held at the French internment camps Beaune-la-Rolande and later Meslay-de-Maine. Franz was sent to the Pithiviers internment camp on May 14, 1941. In June 1942, he was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp and was issued the prisoner number 42447. At Auschwitz, Franz worked in an office. His postwar letters allude to efforts to save children from selection by hiding them near his desk. Recognized as an artist, Nazi soldiers asked Franz to create drawings for them. He also drew inmates of the concentration camps. In January 1945, he was sent to the Mauthausen concentration camp and was eventually liberated from the Ebensee concentration camp in May 1945. After liberation, Franz Reisz received treatment at several French hospitals. To pass the time he drew other patients in the hospitals. While in the hospitals, Franz was able to reconnect via letters with his wife, Lili. In 1940, Lili Reisz emigrated from France to the United States on the ship Champlain which arrived in New York on May 27, 1940. She likely lived with her brother, Leopold Safir in New York. After discovering that Franz survived, they worked together to reunite in the United States. On June 25, 1945, Lili passed her United States citizenship test and applied for a visa for Franz. He arrived in New York on April 19, 1946 on the ship Desirade. Franz Reisz died in New York on March 1984 and Lili Reisz died in December 1991. Franz’s mother did not survive the war. On December 18, 1943, Anna Reisz was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp and likely perished there. Franz’s sister, Elise arrived at Theresienstadt concentration camp in October 1942 and was liberated on May 9, 1945. While imprisoned, Elise met her husband and they were married in the camp in July 1944. According to her postwar correspondence with Franz, she and her husband were preparing to immigrate to England in 1945.

Archival History

The drawing was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1989 by Franz Semrad.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Franz J. Semrad

Scope and Content

Drawing created by Franz Reisz while imprisoned in the Meslay du Maine internment camp in France in 1939.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Pencil sketch on paper with an image of a man wearing long coat and writing on pad. A lantern hangs overhead and there are shelves filled with supplies in the background.

Corporate Bodies

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.