Overview
- Brief Narrative
- 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.
- Artwork Title
- Portrait of Claire
- Date
-
creation:
1945 October 10
- Geography
-
creation:
Dachau prisoner of war camp;
Dachau (Germany)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Claire Holland
- Signature
- front, lower right, cursive, red pencil : OB / Orun Bela / 10.X.1945. / Dachau (O connected to B)
- Contributor
-
Artist:
Oron Bela
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.
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Art
- Category
-
Drawings
- Object Type
-
Portrait drawing (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- Colored pencil portrait drawing on light brown rectangular paper depicting a young woman facing front with her shoulders turned slightly to the left. She has brown, chin length hair worn in pin curls, blue eyes, and well defined dark pink lips parted in a smile revealing her top teeth. Her white garment has a pointed collar and blue, brown, and purple shading. The artist added light blue and green shading done in diagonal strokes behind and to the left the image. Penciled in the lower right is the artist signature, name, and date. On the reverse is penciled English text. The top and bottom edges are torn, and the right and left sides are unevenly cut.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 10.500 inches (26.67 cm) | Width: 9.000 inches (22.86 cm)
- Materials
- overall : paper, colored pencil, graphite
- Inscription
- reverse, top, pencil : Hungarian P.W. at Camp Dachau / Budapest Portrait / Painter
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- 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.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-25 16:23:47
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn514916
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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 the Dachau prisoner of war camp after the end of World War II.
Date: 1945 October-1945 November
Colored pencil portrait of the wife and child of a US soldier created for him by a POW
Object
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.
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.
