Daniel Jacobson papers
Letter, with envelope written by Sgt. Daniel Jacobson, of Baltimore, Maryland, while serving with the US Army's 179th Infantry, 45th Division in Munich, Germany, to his wife Julia Jacobson, 6 May 1945. The letter written on Hitler's personal stationery, describes the irony of being Jewish and using Hitler's stationery, and how he acquired it during a visit with other American soldiers to the ruins of Hitler's home in Berchtesgaden. He also describes a porcelain figurine that he took as a souvenir, and other impressions of Munich, where he was stationed at the time. Also included are three photographs of Jacobson and other American soldiers, and a news clipping featuring him and another soldier, both of whom knew each other when they lived in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1943-1945
- Language
-
English
- Genre/Form
-
Correspondence.
Photographs.
- Extent
-
1 folder
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Daniel Jacobson
-
Record last modified: 2023-02-24 13:44:37
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn108782
Also in This Collection
Porcelain figurine of a seated female acquired from Adolf Hitler’s Munich apartment
Object
Painted porcelain figurine of a woman in a swimsuit, taken in 1945 from Adolf Hitler’s Prince Regent Square apartment in Munich, Germany, by Daniel Jacobson, a Jewish-American soldier. On April 30, 1945, Daniel arrived in Munich with the 179th infantry, 45th division. The apartment was untouched by the war and was visited by several American servicemen from Daniel’s division. Daniel visited the apartment on May 6, and left with the figurine and Hitler’s personal stationery. The figurine was designed in 1913 by Rudolf Marcuse, a German-Jewish artist. He was persecuted by the Nazi authorities and fled Germany for England in 1936. Rosenthal AG, a world-renowned porcelain producer that designed and sold dinnerware and artistic works, manufactured the figurine in 1918. The company’s founder Philipp Rosenthal, was raised Catholic but had a Jewish grandfather and was classified as a Jew under German law. In 1934, Rosenthal AG was Aryanized and Philipp was removed from the company by its board members with the help of the local and national government. After the war, Philipp’s wife and son filed a restitution claim against Rosenthal AG that resulted in a cash payment and shares of the company. The figurine was a decoration in Hitler’s Munich apartment, which he began renting in 1929 and later bought in 1938. Hitler had the apartment renovated in 1935 by the design firm, Atelier Troost. The figurine was likely chosen and placed in the apartment by the interior decorator, Gerdy Troost, unaware of its Jewish origin. After the completed renovation, Hitler hosted foreign dignitaries and leaders such as Neville Chamberlain and Benito Mussolini.
