Black layered evening dress brought with a Polish Jewish emigre
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 45.500 inches (115.57 cm) | Width: 31.500 inches (80.01 cm)
Creator(s)
- Ella Lieberman (Subject)
- Hanna Lieberman Levi (Subject)
Biographical History
Ella Brecher was born in 1905 in Olomuac, Czech Republic, Austro-Hungary. Ella married Benedykt Lieberman (1896-1950), an economist. The couple first lived in Olomuac and then settled in his hometown, Stanislawow, Poland (now Sasiv, Ukraine). Benedykt's father owned a yeast and alcohol factory there. They had one daughter, Hanna, born in 1930. Ella opened a primary school with Hanna's nanny in the 1930s. Most of the Lieberman family immigrated to Palestine from late 1935-1939, where they operated a farm near Nahariya. In 1939, Ella, Benedykt, and Hanna also immigrated to Palestine. Ella, 38, committed suicide in 1943.
Hanna Lieberman (later Levi) was born in 1930 in Stanislawow, Poland (now Sasiv, Ukraine), to Benedykt and Ella Brecher Lieberman. Benedykt was born in Stanislawow to Filip and Babette (1858-1927) Lieberman. Benedykt had three sisters: Jeannette Münch (1891-1967), Cecylia (Cilli) Kupferman (1892-1973), and Aniela (Nelly) Sperber (1898-1989). Filip owned a yeast and alcohol factory. Ella was born in 1905 in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, then part of Austro-Hungary. The couple lived there before moving to Stanislawow. The family was well off. Benedykt was an economist. Ella ran a primary school with Hanna's nanny in the 1930s. Most of the Lieberman family immigrated to Palestine from late 1935-1939, where they operated a farm in Ein Sara near Nahariya. In 1939, Hanna and her parents immigrated to Palestine. Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. Hanna's grandfather Filip went to the ghetto in Kolomyja in 1941, where he died of natural causes. Ella, 38, committed suicide in 1943 following an unhappy love affair. Benedykt, 55, passed away in 1951.
Archival History
The dress was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2009 by Hanna Levi, the daughter of Ella Brecher Lieberman.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Hanna Levi
Scope and Content
Black evening dress owned by Ella Brecher Lieberman when she emigrated with her husband and 9 year old daughter, Hanna, from Stanislawow, Poland (Sasiv, Ukraine), to Palestine in 1939.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Black, short-sleeved dress that falls below the knee. It has a bow collar with a key hole opening. The shoulders come to a sharp point, with smocking at the seams. There is a smocked section at the waist with a thread belt loops. A silver-colored metal zipper, approximately 10 inches long, is at the left waist. The skirt becomes two layers at the waist, with a straight pencil inner skirt. The overskirt starts at the left front waist band and ends on the back right seam. The front over-skirt is edged with a thick, black lace border, with decorative embroidery. The lace border continues up the left side to the waistline, where the overskirt pleats and drapes. There is a triangular pocket on the middle right side of the overskirt, with a weight sewn inside. The back is undecorated, with two sets of waist darts. A tag inside the neck has text in English, with a design of a purple dress form over a green background.
Subjects
- Jews--Poland--History--20th century.
- Poland--Emigration and immigration.
- Jewish families--Poland.
- Palestine--Emigration and immigration.
Genre
- Clothing and Dress
- Object