Brown leather wallet with inlaid floral decorations handcrafted and used in the Łódź Ghetto

Identifier
irn522468
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2004.630.5
Level of Description
Item
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 4.375 inches (11.113 cm) | Width: 6.625 inches (16.828 cm) | Depth: 0.500 inches (1.27 cm)

Archival History

The wallet was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Rafal Imbro.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Rafal Imbro

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

Scope and Content

Hand decorated wallet crafted and used in the Jewish ghetto in Łódź, Poland. Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, and one week later occupied Łódź. They renamed it Litzmannstadt and in February 1940 relocated all the Jews, roughly 100,000 people, into a sealed ghetto. Prewar Łódź was a thriving industrial city and the ghetto continued to be an important manufacturing center. Daily life and social and economic activity in the ghetto was handled by a Council of Jewish Elders who reported to the German authorities. There were continual food shortages and, with the severe overcrowding, death from starvation and disease was common. By September 1942, the Germans had deported the majority of the residents to Chelmno killing center. The ghetto was destroyed in May 1944.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Rectangular, well worn, brown leather bifold wallet with a rectangle sewn onto the front flap with a central curvilinear design and a flower in each corner. The design is made from individually inlaid small cardboard pieces covered with brown metal thread, with the initials LJ stamped in the center. One side of the interior has 3 straight edge pockets and 1 curved, 2 compartment coin pocket; the thread dividing the compartments is missing. On the other side are 3 pockets: a straight edge, a curved, and a flap pocket. The flap is missing a female snap; the pocket has a metal male snap.

front, stamped : LJ

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.