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Colored pencil portrait of the wife and child of a US soldier created for him by a POW

Object | Accession Number: 2004.126.2
2004.126.2 front Colored pencil portrait of the wife and child of a US soldier created for him by a POW Click to enlarge

Portrait drawing created for 23 year old Robert Holland by a prisoner, R. Bachmann, in Dachau prisoner of war camp in November 1945. It is a colored pencil and watercolor drawing on a repurposed piece of cardboard depicting Robert's wife Claire and young daughter Sandy. Robert served in the 20th Armored Division of the United States Army. The unit arrived in Europe in February 1945 and was near Salzburg, Austria, when the war ender on May 7. Some division units participated in the liberation of Dachau concentration camp on April 29, while other units continued on to capture Munich on April 30. Dachau became an internment camp for captured German troops. Robert was stationed there in October and November 1945.

Artwork Title
Claire and Sandy
Date
1945 November  (creation)
Geography
creation : Dachau prisoner of war camp; Dachau (Germany)
Language
English
German
Classification
Art
Category
Drawings
Object Type
Portrait drawing (lcsh)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Claire Holland
Expand all

About This Object

Physical Description
Watercolor and colored pencil portrait drawing on light brown rectangular cardboard depicting a young woman in ¾ profile looking right, next to a young child facing front. The woman has shoulder length blond hair, large blue eyes, lips parted in a toothy smile, and a prominent jaw. She wears a pink garment with blue flowers. The child, shown from the waist up, has straight bangs and blonde hair that flips up, blue eyes, and slightly parted lips. Her white, short puffed sleeved garment has a scalloped collar. In her left hand, she holds a bouquet of blue, white, and yellow flowers. There are white pencil highlights on the hair, face, and clothing of both. Penciled in the bottom right is the artist signature and date. On the reverse is preprinted German fraktur text followed by dotted lines and a handwritten note added later.
Dimensions
overall : 10.625 x 8.625 in. (26.988 x 21.908 cm.)
Materials
overall : cardboard, watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, ink
Markings
reverse, center, preprinted, black ink : Besoldungsliste / Monat / Liste Nr. [Grade list / Month / List No.]
reverse, lower right, preprinted, black ink : Bearbeiteit von: / (Unterschrift, Dienstgrad). [Edited by: / Signature / Rank]
front, lower right, pencil : R Bachmann Nov. 1945 (R and B overlap)
Signature
front, lower right, pencil : R Bachmann Nov. 1945 (R and B overlap)
Inscription
reverse, lower left, handwritten cursive, blue ink : Portrait Painter / Done for Dad / in Germany / Claire and Sandy / P.W. Camp Dachau / Budapest
Contributor
Artist: R. Bachmann
Subject: Robert E. Holland
Subject: Claire Holland
Biography
Robert Edward Holland was born on May 4, 1922, in Norwell, Massachusetts, to Rena and James Holland. He married Claire Burns and they had a daughter. In 1943, Robert enlisted in the United States Army. He was assigned to the 20th Armored Division of the United States Army. The unit landed in France in February 1945 and at the end of the war on May 7 was near Salzburg, Austria. Some units participated in the liberation of Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945, while others continued on and captured Munich on April 30. Robert was stationed at Dachau prisoner of war camp in October and November 1945. Robert died in Chester, Vermont, on July 18, 1997, at the age of 75. Claire died in Strafford, New Hampshire, on March 4, 2005, at the age of 79.
Claire Burns was born on August 27, 1925. She married Robert Edward Holland and they had a daughter. In 1943, Robert enlisted in the United States Army. He was assigned to the 20th Armored Division of the United States Army. The war ended in May 1945, and in October and November 1945, Robert was stationed at Dachau priosoner of war camp in Germany. The ubnit was disbanded in 1946. Robert died in Chester, Vermont, on July 18, 1997, at the age of 75. Claire died in Strafford, New Hampshire, on March 4, 2005, at the age of 79.

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The drawing was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Claire Holland, the wife of Robert Holland.
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: 2018-01-11 14:24:57
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn514914

Also in Robert Holland collection

The collection consists of two drawings and photographs relating to the experiences of Robert E. Holland during his service in the United States Army, 20th Armored Division, at Dachau prisoner of war camp after the end of World War II.

Date: 1945 October-1945 November

Colored pencil portrait of the wife of a US soldier created for him by a Hungarian POW

Colored pencil portrait of the wife of a US soldier created for him by a Hungarian POW

Object

Portrait drawing created for 23 year old Robert Holland by a Hungarian prisoner, Orun Bela, in Dachau prisoner of war camp on October 10, 1945. It is a colored pencil and watercolor drawing depicting Robert's wife Claire. Robert served in the 20th Armored Division of the United States Army. The unit arrived in Europe in February 1945 and was near Salzburg, Austria, when the war ender on May 7. Some division units participated in the liberation of Dachau concentration camp on April 29, while other units continued on to capture Munich on April 30. Dachau became an internment camp for captured German troops. Robert was stationed there in October and November 1945.

Robert Holland photograph collection

Document

The collection consists of 38 photographs taken by Robert Holland, a soldier in the United States Army, of Dachau concentration camp following the liberation of the camp.

View Collection