Auction 91 Part 2 "Shanah Tovah" Postcards and Greeting Cards from the Collection of Dr. Haim Grossman
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Collection of "shanah tovah" postcards showing Jewish soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian and German armies, along with portraits of Emperor Franz Joseph, pictures of sites from across the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and more. Various publishers, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and elsewhere, [ca. first decades of the 20th century].
The lot comprises:
• Photographic "shanah tovah" postcard. According to the German caption, the photo shows the rabbis of Pressburg (Bratislava; Hungarian: Poszony) and the head of the city's Jewish community waiting to greet Emperor Franz Joseph, June 1, 1909.
• 11 illustrated and photographic "shanah tovah" postcards, depicting Jewish soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian and German armies: Soldiers praying in a synagogue, in a bunker, and on the battlefield; blowing of the shofar; bidding farewell to the family; being blessed by the rabbi; and more. Various captions and new year's greetings in Hebrew, German, and Hungarian.
• Two "shanah tovah" postcards dating from WWI, with greetings in Hebrew and German. One postcard bears relief portrait images of Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph and German Emperor Wilhelm II and flags of the Austro-Hungarian and German empires. The second postcard bears the flags of the two em[pires alongside a Star of David.
• Folding card bearing portraits of Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph and German Emperor Wilhelm II. Caption in Hungarian and German, underneath portraits: "May God bless our weaponry"; at bottom, new year's greetings in Hebrew and Hungarian.
• 18 postcards with a variety of themes: Photographic postcards showing soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian army; two color postcards featuring ships at sea; two photographic postcards showing Catholic churches; and more. On the backs of these postcards are new year's greetings in Hebrew and Hungarian, and a dedication to the soldiers in Hungarian, with the caption "Pro Patria 1914".
• Postcard with a picture of Jewish soldiers praying at an army base (Hebrew caption: "Yom Kippur worship at a camp near Metz"); printed in New York. Also enclosed: an additional postcard with the same image but without the "shanah tovah" greeting (printed in Warsaw).
Total of 32 "shanah tovah" postcards and one greeting card. Postcards: averaging 14X9 cm. Greeting card (when open): approx. 13.5X22 cm. Condition varies. Some of the postcards were used.
Also enclosed: Two postcards without "shanah tovah" greetings – one illustrated postcard showing Jewish soldiers in the German army during the "Kol Nidre" prayer, prior to the battle for Metz during the Franco-Prussian War, 1870 (on the back, postmark dated 1898); and one postcard bearing a portrait of Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph.
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman collection.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
Six "shanah tovah" greeting cards printed for Jewish soldiers serving in the British, Canadian and American forces. 1919-1954. English and some Hebrew.
• "Shanah tovah" card issued by the British forces in Palestine, 1919 – printed greeting from Drum Major A. H. Silver, 40th battalion of the Royal Fusiliers.
• "Shanah tovah" card issued by the Jewish Welfare Board, U.S. Army. Sent in 1941.
• "Shanah tovah" card issued by the Service Men's Center, run by the Canadian Jewish Congress, for Jewish soldiers serving in the Canadian army. 1943. With handwritten greeting. Envelope enclosed.
• Illustrated "shanah tovah" card, from the South West Pacific theatre during WWII. [U.S. Army?], 1944-5.
• "Shanah tovah" card with a photograph of a Jewish soldier in the British army. "Somewhere in England", 1944-5.
• Trilingual "shanah tovah" card (Hebrew, English and Chinese), depicting a soldier, a Star of David and a Jew blowing the shofar. Busan, Korea, 1954.
Size and condition vary.
Enclosed:
• Handwritten letter (Russian), written on the official stationery of the Jewish Welfare Board – U.S. Army and Navy. With a "shanah tovah" greeting at the top of the stationery. The letter was sent from Camp Dix, near Trenton NJ; original envelope enclosed addressed to Mrs. Joffe in Lakewood NJ, 1918.
• Handbill – appeal for Jewish refugees in Europe, at the end of WWII, issued by the South African Jewish War Appeal, [1944?].
• "Aloha Chapel Bulletin", periodical for Jewish soldiers serving in the American marine corps in Hawai; Rosh Hashanah and High Holidays issue. Pearl Harbor, Hawai, 1960.
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman collection.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
Collection of postcards and greeting cards sent by Jewish soldiers, mostly with new year's greetings. Italy and elsewhere (some without exact location, the address generally described as "Europe", "far away", "The Persia and Iraq Command"), early-mid 1940s.
The collection comprises some 150 cards, mostly featuring unit emblems and their Hebrew names – The Jewish Brigade; 1st Palestinian Light Anti-Aircraft Battery; The Palestine Regiment (1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions); and numerous others.
Several greetings mention the historical significance of the upcoming year – "on the eve of victory and redemption"; "may it be a year of endurance and revival of the people and the land"; "good wishes to my country from among the ruins of Europe"; and more.
In addition to the official unit "shana tovah" cards, the collection includes rare cards, some printed in color or in limited numbers: • Illustrated "shana tovah" greeting to the children of Rome, with the original envelope. • Card reading "If you will it, it is no dream" (Hebrew), illustrated with an airplane carrying released soldiers to Jerusalem. • Hand-made folding greeting card, presented by the Jewish Transport Company in honor of Passover 1944. • Additional rare cards.
Several cards with original envelopes, stamped with military postmarks and censor marks.
Some 150 greeting cards. Size and condition vary.
Enclosed: "With the Brigade on Its Journeys" – a hand-made folding leaflet showing the brigade's imaginary route across Europe, a map of Palestine and a memorial tablet. Inscription to back: "Kibbutz Dorot 1951".
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman collection.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
Collection of "shanah tovah" cards, letters and souvenirs, sent to Jewish soldiers in the British army – volunteers from Palestine during WWII.
The lot comprises:
• "Shanah tovah" letter from the Jewish Agency (Rosh Hashanah Eve, 1943): "Dear friend […] May the new year bring victory to the free people". Typewritten; hand-signed by Eliezer Kaplan (one of the signatories of the Israeli declaration of independence and the country's first Minister of Finance).
• "The Jewish Yishuv to its soldiers, a gift for Rosh HaSanah 5704" (Hebrew) – JNF tree certificate (for planting a tree in the Soldier's Forest), with the original envelope enclosed.
• A gift for Rosh Hashanah 5706, to members of Kibbutz Ein Gev serving in the British army – eight cards with photographs of the kibbutz and a printed greeting (1945).
• Two printed "shanah tovah" greeting cards, with illustrations of Jewish soldiers.
• "To the Jewish soldier" (Hebrew), a handwritten "shanah tovah" greeting, from "Daphna Sakharov, three years and nine months old", Tel Aviv (1942).
• A greeting card with photograph of an aqueduct in the Jordan Valley.
• Handwritten letter sent to a soldier in the Jewish transport company 462 (1944), with the original envelope enclosed.
• And more.
14 items (several additional items enclosed). Size and condition vary.
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman collection.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
Collection of "shanah tovah" letters, on American and British military forms (V-mail / aerographs). 1943-1945.
Such letter forms were used during WWII to reduce the cost of transferring letters through the military postal system. The letters were sent as microfilm, and upon arrival at their destination, were printed in reduced form on photographic paper.
The lot comprises six original letter forms (one was not filled-in) and five letters printed from microfilm.
The forms are decorated with new year's greetings in Hebrew and in English and various illustrations (Torah scrolls, Stars of David, and more). The letters were sent by Jewish soldiers in the American and British armies to Palestine, the United States, Canada, Britain and Lebanon.
Size and condition vary.
Enclosed: • Four aerograph letter forms for Christmas (three of them illustrated with views from Palestine. • One Christmas aerograph letter printed from microfilm. • An additional V-mail letter form.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. Chaim Grossman.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
Handwritten and hand-illustrated "shanah tovah" greeting card, made in the Vittel internment camp, France. Addressed to Benzion Chomsky, from a female prisoner in the camp. Rosh Hashanah 5703 (1942). Hebrew.
The greeting card is comprised of two notebook leaves folded in two. On the outer leaf, an illustration of Jerusalem, captioned "Next Year in Jerusalem". On the inner leaf, a letter with wishes for the new year.
Benzion Chomsky was born in Jaffa in 1896. In 1920, he participated in the defense of Jerusalem under the command of Ze'ev Jabotinsky, and was imprisoned with him in the Acre prison. In 1927, he was deported from Palestine by the British and settled in France, where he joined the International League against Antisemitism and Racism. In WWII, he was sent to the Vittel internment camp, where he was held until the end of 1944. After the war, he became a Nazi hunter for the Allied forces, and led a radio broadcast for locating survivors. Immigrated to Israel in 1949.
[2] leaves (detached), folded in two. Approx. 21.5 cm (one leaf slightly smaller). Good condition. Fold lines and minor stains. Tiny marginal tears.
Enclosed: envelope of a letter sent to Chomsky in Jerusalem, after he immigrated to Israel.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. Chaim Grossman.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
Some 100 "shanah tovah" postcards and greeting cards sent by Jewish Holocaust survivors or printed in Europe after the Holocaust. Germany, Austria and Italy (several postcards from other places), mid-late 1940s.
Most of the collection is dedicated to greeting cards printed in DP camps, with pictures of the senders and various illustrations: letter-bearing doves, illegal immigrant ships, flag of Israel, ram's horns and flowers. The greeting cards were sent from DP camps such as Traunstein, Leipheim, Landsberg, Bergen-Belsen, Föhrenwald, Eschwege, Ulm, Lampertheim, Feldafing, Palese, Barletta and others. One postcard is particularly rare, and was sent for Rosh Hashanah 5706 (1945) from Beijing, China.
The collection also includes several postcards issued by institutions, personalized postcards and postcards with images memorializing the Holocaust, including: • Two postcards issued by the JNF Central Bureau in Germany. • "Shanah tovah" card from R. Bernstein and Aryeh Becker. • Yizkor 6,000,000" – color postcard designed by Pinchas Schuldenrein. • Card with a picture of illegal immigrants in camp uniform on board the Mataroa (photograp by Zoltan Kluger). • And more.
Approx. 100 greeting cards and postcards. Size and condition vary.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. Chaim Grossman.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
Three wooden plaques bearing "shanah tovah" greetings and a radio-shaped cigarette dispenser, made by Jewish prisoners in the Latrun detention camp. Mid-late 1940s.
1. Cigarette dispenser designed as a radio. Inscribed by hand: "To my family, a gift from Latrun, Rosh Hashanah 5708 (1947-8).
Approx. 10X9.5X19.5 cm. Good condition. Minor blemishes.
2-3. Three wooden plaques bearing "shanah tovah" greetings, made by Jewish prisoners. One plaque is designed as a stamped letter; two are decorated with illustrations of shackled hands (the name of the detention camp, Latrun, is indicated on two plaques; the third plaque may have been made elsewhere).
3X7.5 cm – 6X9.5 cm. Overall good condition.
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman collection.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
Eleven photographic greeting cards and three photographs from the Cyprus detention camps. Late 1940s.
• Eleven photographic greeting cards (most of them small) depicting views of the internment camps, ships, flags, views of Israel, and more, with greetings for Rosh Hashanah 5708 (1947-8) and 5709 (1948-9). • Two family photographs. • A small group photograph from Karaolos.
Size and condition vary.
Enclosed: "shanah tovah" postcards published by the Committee for Cyprus Exiles, for Rosh Hashanah 5708 (1947-8).
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman collection.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
28 greeting cards decorated with pressed flowers from Palestine, most of them for Rosh Hashanah. Various publishers, 20th century.
Included: • 11 "shanah tovah" cards printed in Hebrew and English, with pressed flowers from Mount Zion and the poem Ode to Zion by Judah Halevi. • "Greetings from the Holy Land", greeting card printed in English with a picture of General Edmund Allenby entering Jerusalem, pressed flowers and a greeting for Christmas and the New Year. • "Grüsse aus dem Heiligen Land", greeting card printed in German, with a picture of Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem, pressed flowers and a greeting for Christmas and the New Year. • Greeting card printed in gold, in Hebrew and German, with pressed flowers from Jerusalem. • Two "shanah tovah" greeting cards published by Lion the Printer, with flowers from the mountains of Judea. • Two greeting cards published by Lev-Hartouv Ltd., Tel-Aviv; one for Rosh Hashanah and one for Passover. • And more.
Size and condition vary.
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman collection.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
Some 280 "shana tovah" postcards and greeting cards with pictures and illustrations of Palestine. Various publishers – Eliyahu Brothers, Jaffa; Yaakov Ben-Dov, Jerusalem; Jamal Brothers, Jerusalem; Levanon, Moscow; Tzentral, Warsaw; Reznik, Warsaw and New York; Menorah, Vienna; and others. Late 19th century and first half of the 20th century.
The postcards and greeting cards depict the holy cities, colonies and kibbutzim, Zionist institutions, pioneers and watchmen, landscapes and more, from the beginning of the Zionist settlement in Palestine to the establishment of the State of Israel. A number of cards depict images representing the Jewish diaspora's attachment to the Land of Israel – immigrants' ships, Jews wearing the Israeli flag, the Daughter of Zion as a personification of the Jewish people, and more.
25 undivided-back postcards. Several postcards with stamped-on greetings.
Size and condition vary.
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman collection.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.
"Second Year of the State of Israel", a map of Israel published by cartographer Joseph Szapiro, Tel Aviv; Kfar Monash Press, 5710 (1950). Illustrations by Michael Kara.
A printed "shanah tovah" greeting card (Hebrew) is inserted in slits at the bottom left corner.
64.5X33.5 cm. Good condition. Fold lines.
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman collection.
Dr. Chaim Grossman's Israeliana collection is exceptional in size, quality and variety. Grossman, an educator, historian and folklorist, was a methodical, knowledgeable and meticulous collector, and his deep understanding of Palestinian-Yishuv and Israeli material culture set the ground for a one-of-a-kind collection of mundane and less than mundane objects – from the ephemeral, the negligible, the widely available to the rare and singular.
The "shana tovah" collection left by Grossman – a considerable part of which is offered in the present auction – comprises thousands of postcards, cards, letters and other paper items made and sent year after year in, by and for Jewish communities: in Eastern and Western Europe, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, North and South America, as part of the tradition of sending hand-written, hand-drawn or printed new year’s greetings, which originated in German Jewry but with the rise of postcards spread to most communities. The earliest items in the collection date to the 1860s; the latest were made in the late 20th century. It includes both beautifully designed, rare, early and singular postcards and cards, and mass-made, highly popular items sold in large quantities, in varying production quality and in dozens of repeating versions, each according to the technical abilities achieved by the local publication industry.
The collector's devotion to his collection is evident in the sheer number of items, in the wealth of techniques, visuals and themes, and in the thorough, intersectional categorization by period, origin, motif, technique and material. Glitter and relief embossing, scraps, lace and golden ink, lithography and celluloid transparencies, plastic, textile and metal decorations; Yiddish, Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Polish, German greetings; children, angels, families, pets, immigrants, travelers, professionals; portraits and tinted reproductions; Judaism, Zionism, the state, the army; the ritual and the mundane; any new year's greeting, in any form whatsoever, had a place in Grossman's collection and was honored as a historical testimony, as a timeless, invaluable treasure.