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Hamburg-Amerika Line orange and white luggage tag used by a Jewish family on the MS St. Louis

Object | Accession Number: 2010.336.3

Orange and white luggage tag used by 8 year old Evelyn Klein, her mother, Maria Hermanda, and her stepfather, Nicolaus (Miklos) during their voyage aboard the Ms St. Louis to Havana, Cuba, on May 13-27, 1939. By 1939, many Jews were seeking to escape areas of Europe that were controlled by Nazi Germany. In 1939, the Klein family, residents of Hungary, acquired landing permits for Cuba and entry visas for the United States and sailed on the luxury liner from Hamburg to Havana. The majority of the 937 passengers were Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. When the ship arrived on May 27, the Cuban government declared that only 28 passengers had valid landing permits. The Klein family was among those allowed to disembark. For over a week, the passengers on board the ship petitioned Cuba and the US to give them refuge; however, on June 6, the boat had to sail back to Europe. The Klein family remained in Havana until 1941, when they emigrated to the United States.

Date
use:  1939 May 13-1939 May 27
Geography
received: St. Louis (Ship); Hamburg (Germany)
en route: St. Louis (Ship); Havana (Cuba)
Language
English
French
German
Spanish
Classification
Identifying Artifacts
Category
Labels
Object Type
Luggage tags (aat)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Don Altman

About This Object

Physical Description
Oval, white cardboard luggage tag with an orange background and narrow white border. At the top is a punch hole with a paper and metal grommet with a white string tied through it. One side has an image of an ocean liner in dark orange and white ink, beneath this is a banner with the company name in German. The remainder has a white shield shaped design with preprinted lines in English, French, German, and Spanish and handwritten text completing the form. On the reverse are red pencilled markings and a circular paper sticker with the company logo in black, blue, and yellow.
Dimensions
overall: Height: 6.125 inches (15.557 cm) | Width: 4.250 inches (10.795 cm)
Materials
overall : cardboard, metal, string, paper, ink, adhesive, graphite, colored pencil
Markings
front, right, black ink : ̊ANTON / HAMBURG
front, center, white letters in orange : HAMBURG - AMERIKA LINIE
front, center, within logo, black ink : H A / P / A G
front, lower center, black ink : GEDAP Nr. 352
front, lower center, black ink : Printed in Germany Imprimé en Allemagne In Deutschland gedruckt
reverse, sticker, white and black ink : HAMBURG - AMERIKA LINIE / K
reverse, sticker, within logo, white on orange : H A / P / A G
Inscription
front, center, preprinted in black ink, handwritten in pencil : Klein Nicoleuis (handwritten) / NAME NAME NOMBRE / St. Louis (handwritten) / SCHIFF VESSEL VAPOR / 13. V.39 (handwritten) / ABFAHRTSTAG DATE OF SAILING FECHA DE SALIDA / Habana[?] (handwritten) / BESTIMMUNGSHAFEN PORT OF DESTINATION PUERTO DE DESTINO / 2/. (handwritten) / KAMMER ROOM CAMROTE / Nr.
reverse, red pencil : L / 5
Contributor
Subject: Evelyn Altman
Biography
Evelyn Klein Altman was born on June 12, 1930, near Vienna, Austria, to Maria Hermanda. Her mother later married Miklos (Nicolaus) Klein and she and Evelyn adopted his last name. By 1939, many Jews were seeking to escape countries and regions that, like Austria, were under the control of Nazi Germany, or, like Hungary, were close allies. In 1939, the Kleins acquired entry visas and landing permits for Havana, Cuba, and purchased tickets for the Hamburg-Amerika luxury liner, Ms. St. Louis. The family left Hamburg, Germany, for Havana aboard the ship on May 13, 1939. They reached Havana on May 27. The Kleins were among the 28 passengers, out of 937, whose landing permits for Cuba and visas for the United States were considered valid by the Cuban government. The ship, with the remaining passengers, nearly all Jewish refugees from Nazi controlled countries, was forced to return to Europe. The Kleins disembarked in Havana, where they stayed until 1941 when they left for the United States. Hermanda died in 1988. Evelyn married and had three children. She died in Denver, Colorado, age 71, on July 5, 2001.

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The MS St. Louis travel label was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2010 by Don Altman, the husband of Evelyn Klein Altman.
Funding Note
The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
No restrictions on use

 
Record last modified: 2021-02-10 08:57:38
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn42142

Also in Evelyn Klein Altman family collection

The collection consists of artifacts, documents, and a photograph album relating to the experiences of Evelyn Klein, her mother, Maria Hermanda, and her stepfather, Miklos (Nicolaus) during their voyage on the Ms. St. Louis from Hamburg, Germany, to Havana, Cuba, in May 1939.

Evelyn Klein Altman papers

Evelyn Klein Altman papers

Document

The Evelyn Klein Altman papers include three printed menus from the Hamburg America Line’s ship the MS St. Louis; a Cuban immigration card for Evelyn Klein, May 27, 1939; and a photograph album containing images of the Klein family and other passengers in Hamburg, Germany and aboard the MS St. Louis, 1939.

MS St. Louis black and white luggage tag used by a Jewish refugee family

Object

Black and white luggage tag used by 8 year old Evelyn Klein, her mother, Maria Hermanda, and her stepfather, Nicolaus (Miklos) during their voyage aboard the Ms St. Louis to Havana, Cuba, on May 13-27, 1939. By 1939, many Jews were seeking to escape areas of Europe that were controlled by Nazi Germany. In 1939, the Klein family, residents of Hungary, acquired landing permits for Cuba and entry visas for the United States and sailed on the luxury liner from Hamburg to Havana. The majority of the 937 passengers were Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. When the ship arrived on May 27, the Cuban government declared that only 28 passengers had valid landing permits. The Klein family was among those allowed to disembark. For over a week, the passengers on board the ship petitioned Cuba and the US to give them refuge; however, on June 6, the boat had to sail back to Europe. The Klein family remained in Havana until 1941, when they emigrated to the United States.

View All 3 Items in the Collection