Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Group of men’s clothing patterns created by Moritz Wacs for his tailor’s shop in Shanghai. The Wacs family left Vienna for Shanghai soon after Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Nazi Germany had annexed Austria in March 1938 and the persecution of Jews was increasingly violent. In 1943, the Japanese, who controlled Shanghai, forced most Jewish refugees into ghettos. Conditions were very harsh, but Ilie’s family survived the war.
- Date
-
creation:
1943-1945
- Geography
-
creation:
Shanghai (China)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ilie Wacs
- Contributor
-
Subject:
Moritz Wacs
Artist: Moritz Wacs
- Biography
-
Moritz (Maurice) Wacs was born in Romania. He was held as a prisoner-of-war in Austria during World War I and remained there when that war ended. He married Henia (Helen) Fachs, who was from an orthodox Polish family. They were married by a rabbi, but the marriage was not recognized by the Austrian government as Moritz was not an Austrian citizen. They had a son, Ilie, born on December 11, 1927, and a daughter, Debra, born in 1935. The family was not especially religious, though Henia kept a kosher home. Moritz was a men’s custom tailor with a very successful business. The Austrian population was primarily Catholic and anti-Semitism was common. On March 12-13, 1938, the Anschluss occurred; Nazi Germany marched into Austria and incorporated the country into the Third Reich. Moritz's business was aryanized and turned over to his Christian head tailor, Alois, a member of the Nazi party. Alois had prior knowledge of Kristallnacht that November and warned the Wacs to leave their apartment that night. Kristallnacht was especially brutal in Austria: all the synagogues in Vienna were destroyed, Jewish homes and businesses were vandalized, and 1000s of Jews were deported to Dachau and Buchenwald. Soon after this, the family decided to emigrate. They wanted to come to the United States, but since Ilie was a Romanian citizen, it was not possible to get visas. They decided to go to Shanghai, since it was an open city and required no papers. Moritz’s brother in Romania paid for their passage, since only US dollars were accepted and Moritz could not get these in Austria. They sailed from Genoa, Italy, on the Conte Bianca Mano, August 20, 1939, less than two weeks before the outbreak of World War II. After they arrived in Shanghai, the local Jewish community found them an apartment in Heime Hongkew. The family had only the four suitcases they had taken in the ship; the furniture and good they had arranged to have shipped never arrived. But Morris was able to find work as a custom tailor. He made the first suit entirely by hand, but with that fee was able to buy a sewing machine. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, food became extremely scarce and they pawned Henia’s jewelry for food. In 1943, the Japanese, who had occupied Shanghai since 1937, forced the Jewish refugees into ghettos and conditions deteriorated. In July 1945, Shanghai was heavily bombed by US forces, killing hundreds of people in the ghetto. But in August, Japan conceded defeat, although the ghetto was not officially liberated until September 2, 1945, when Chiang Kai-Shek arrived. After the war, the American Joint Distribution Committee arrived to assist Jewish refugees with relocation. They learned that all their family members who had remained in Europe, except for two cousins, had perished in the Holocaust; Henia’s sister died in Dachau concentration camp. In1949, Ilie received a scholarship to attend art school in Paris, France. With the passage of the Displaced Persons Act, Moritz, Henia, and Debra were able to emigrate to the United States, where Ilie later joined them. They settled in New York City and Moritz continued to work as a custom tailor. He passed away in 1957; Henia died in 1972.
Physical Details
- Language
- German
- Classification
-
Tools and Equipment
- Category
-
Sewing equipment and supplies
- Object Type
-
Tailoring-- Patterns (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- a. Pattern for the front panel of a suit coat for an adult male, drawn in black and red pencil on yellowed paper. The drawing is created on a scaled graph with numbers that correspond to handwritten instructions on the left side. The paper has a fold down the middle.
b. Pattern for adult male trousers, drawn in black and red pencil on yellowed paper. The drawing is created on a scaled graph with handwritten numbers that correspond to instruction on the left side. The paper has a fold down the middle.
c. Pattern for the front panel for a suit coat for an adult male, drawn in pencil on yellowed paper. The drawing is created on a scaled graph with numbers that correspond to handwritten instructions on the left side. The paper has a fold down the middle.
d. Pattern for the interior front panel of an adult male jacket, drawn in pencil yellowed paper. The drawing is created on a scaled graph with numbers that correspond to instruction on the left side. The paper has a fold down the middle.
e. Pattern for the front panel of an adult male suitcoat with 3 buttons, drawn in pencil on yellowed paper. The drawing is created on a scaled graph with numbers that correspond to instruction on the left side. The paper has a fold down the middle.
f. Pattern for the sleeve of an adult male jacket, drawn in pencil on yellowed paper. The drawing is created on a scaled graph with numbers that correspond to instruction on the left side. The paper has a fold down the middle.
g. Pattern for the front panels of an adult male suitcoat with 2 pockets, drawn in pencil on yellowed paper. The drawing is created on a scaled graph with numbers that correspond to instruction on the left side. The paper has a fold down the middle.
h. Pattern of the interior of a man’s jacket, has 2 pockets, on yellowed paper. The drawing is created on a scaled graph with numbers that correspond to instruction on the left side. The paper has a fold down the middle.
i. Incomplete pattern for adult male clothing, drawn in pencil on yellowed paper. The drawing has a few numbers with letters on the right side. The paper has a fold down the middle.
j. Blank piece of yellowed paper with a fold down the middle. One edge has a line in pencil. Possibly used to hold the 9 patterns. - Dimensions
- a: Height: 16.380 inches (41.605 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm)
b: Height: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) | Width: 16.620 inches (42.215 cm)
c: Height: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) | Width: 16.620 inches (42.215 cm)
d: Height: 13.880 inches (35.255 cm) | Width: 16.500 inches (41.91 cm)
e: Height: 13.880 inches (35.255 cm) | Width: 16.500 inches (41.91 cm)
f: Height: 13.880 inches (35.255 cm) | Width: 16.500 inches (41.91 cm)
g: Height: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) | Width: 16.500 inches (41.91 cm)
h: Height: 13.750 inches (34.925 cm) | Width: 16.500 inches (41.91 cm)
i: Height: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) | Width: 16.500 inches (41.91 cm)
j: Height: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) | Width: 16.500 inches (41.91 cm) - Materials
- a : paper, graphite, colored pencil
b : paper, graphite, colored pencil
c : paper, graphite
d : paper, graphite
e : paper, graphite
f : paper, graphite
h : paper, graphite
i : paper, graphite
j : paper, graphite - Inscription
- a. front top, handwritten in pencil : Voolen Toul 1. Rouoh [Woolen ?] / front bottom, handwritten in pencil : gezeichnet mit größen linial [drawn to scale]
b. front top, written in pencil : Voolene Hose [Woolen trousers] / front, bottom, written in pencil : gezeichnet mit Kleinen lineal [drawn on a smaller scale]
c. front top, title, written in pencil : Mourtel L Rerch / front bottom, handwritten in pencil : gezeichnet mit Kleinen lineal [(drawn on a smaller scale]
d. front bottom, written in pencil : gezeichnet mit größen lineal [drawn to scale]
e. front bottom, written in pencil : gezeichnet mit größen lineal [drawn to smaller scale]
f. front, bottom, written in pencil : gezeichnet mit Kleinen lineal [drawn to a smaller scale]
g. front, top, written in pencil : Rücken [Back] / front bottom, written in pencil : gezeichnet mit Kleinen lineal [drawn to a smaller scale]
h. front, bottom, handwritten in pencil : gezeichnet mit größen lineal [drawn to scale]
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- Restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The set of patterns was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005 by Ilie Wacs, the son of Moritz Wacs.
- Record last modified:
- 2022-07-28 18:28:52
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn517218
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Also in Ilie Wacs collection
The collection consists of artifacts, documents, and photographs relating to the experiences of Ilie Wacs and his family in Shanghai, China, before and during World War II. six drawings, 1 set (10 pages) of patterns, 1 book - "'ORT' SHANGHAI Course in Cutting Mens Clothing"
Date: 1943-1945
Interior of the Wacs' home in Shanghai
Object
Drawing by 18 year old Ilie Wacs of the room and window next to his father’s workspace in Shanghai, China, where he sat and sketched the activities on the street below. Ilie’s family left Vienna for Shanghai soon after Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Nazi Germany had annexed Austria in March 1938 and the persecution of Jews was increasingly violent. In 1943, the Japanese, who controlled Shanghai, forced most Jewish refugees into ghettos. Conditions were very harsh, but Ilie’s family survived the war. With the assistance of the American Joint Distribution Committee, a Jewish aid organization, Ilie received a scholarship to study art in Paris.
Makeshift stove in the Wacs' home in Shanghai
Object
Drawing by 17 year old Ilie Wacs of the cooking stove made with a flower pot, used in his family’s home in Shanghai, China. Ilie’s family left Vienna for Shanghai soon after Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Nazi Germany had annexed Austria in March 1938 and the persecution of Jews was increasingly violent. In 1943, the Japanese, who controlled Shanghai, forced most Jewish refugees into ghettos. Conditions were very harsh, but Ilie’s family survived the war. With the assistance of the American Joint Distribution Committee, a Jewish aid organization, Ilie received a scholarship to study art in Paris.
Street scene in Shanghai
Object
Drawing by 18 year old Ilie Wacs of the Shanghai street scene viewed from the window of his family’s apartment. Ilie’s family left Vienna for Shanghai soon after Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Nazi Germany had annexed Austria in March 1938 and the persecution of Jews was increasingly violent. In 1943, the Japanese, who controlled Shanghai, forced most Jewish refugees into ghettos. Conditions were very harsh, but Ilie’s family survived the war. With the assistance of the American Joint Distribution Committee, a Jewish aid organization, Ilie received a scholarship to study art in Paris.
Man in overcoat carrying cane, drawn to illustrate pattern
Object
Drawing by 17 year old Ilie Wacs of a man modeling an overcoat, based on the tailoring patterns of his father, Moritz. Ilie’s family left Vienna for Shanghai soon after Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Nazi Germany had annexed Austria in March 1938 and the persecution of Jews was increasingly violent. In 1943, the Japanese, who controlled Shanghai, forced most Jewish refugees into ghettos. Conditions were very harsh, but Ilie’s family survived the war. With the assistance of the American Joint Distribution Committee, a Jewish aid organization, Ilie received a scholarship to study art in Paris.
Man in 2-breasted suit carrying newspaper, drawn to illustrate pattern
Object
Drawing by 17 year old Ilie Wacs of a man modeling a suit, based on the tailoring patterns of his father, Moritz. Ilie’s family left Vienna for Shanghai soon after Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Nazi Germany had annexed Austria in March 1938 and the persecution of Jews was increasingly violent. In 1943, the Japanese, who controlled Shanghai, forced most Jewish refugees into ghettos. Conditions were very harsh, but Ilie’s family survived the war. With the assistance of the American Joint Distribution Committee, a Jewish aid organization, Ilie received a scholarship to study art in Paris.
Man in a 3-button suit, drawn to illustrate pattern
Object
Drawing by 17 year old Ilie Wacs of a man modeling a 3-button suit, based on the tailoring pattern of his father, Moritz. Ilie’s family left Vienna for Shanghai soon after Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Nazi Germany had annexed Austria in March 1938 and the persecution of Jews was increasingly violent. In 1943, the Japanese, who controlled Shanghai, forced most Jewish refugees into ghettos. Conditions were very harsh, but Ilie’s family survived the war. With the assistance of the American Joint Distribution Committee, a Jewish aid organization, Ilie received a scholarship to study art in Paris.
ORT Shanghai Course in Cutting Men's Clothing by M. Wacs
Object
Book of menswear patterns created by Moritz Wacs in Shanghai. Moritz Wacs was able to re-establish a tailoring business in Shanghai after he arrived there as a refugee from Nazi tyranny. He created this pattern book as a training manual. The Wacs family left Vienna for Shanghai soon after Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Nazi Germany had annexed Austria in March 1938 and the persecution of Jews was increasingly violent. In 1943, the Japanese, who controlled Shanghai, forced most Jewish refugees into ghettos. Conditions were very harsh, but the family survived the war.