Annette Fry papers

Document | Not Digitized | Accession Number: 1997.68.178

Overview

Description: The Annette Fry papers primarily consist of photographic materials and correspondence documenting Varian Fry’s work for the Emergency Rescue Committee in France, some of the artists and intellectuals he aided, and travels around Europe.

Photographic materials include prints, slides, negatives, and contact sheets depicting Eileen and Varian Fry, Andre Breton, Marc Chagall, Hans and Carmen Namuth, and scenes at Villa Airbel and in Marseilles, Italy, Portugal, England, and Spain. A set of annotated photographs include pictures of Varian Fry, his staff, Andre and Jacqueline Breton, Daniel Benedite, Andre Masson, Max Ernst, Jean Gemahling, and Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry. Some of the photographs are by Ylla or by Varian Fry.

Correspondence includes a 1940 postcard from Varian Fry to his mother on his way to Marseilles, a photocopy of a 1941 postcard from Victor Brauner to Varian Fry, a 1967 illustrated letter from Bil Spira to Varian Fry, a 1967 letter from Miriam Davenport to Annette Fry, and a 1968 letter to the publisher of the paperback edition of Fry’s book.

The collection also contains Varian Fry’s 1958 address book, a book jacket from a hardback copy of Varian Fry’s Surrender on Demand, four photostats of etchings by Max Ernst, and a notebook containing notes about photographs taken in Germany as well as museums, artwork, and tourist sites in Europe.
Date: inclusive: circa 1940-1968
Credit Line: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Annette Fry, Sylvia Varian Fry, and James Duncan Fry
Collection Creator: Annette Fry
Biography: Annette Fry (nee Riley) met Varian Fry (1907-1967) in the late 1940s. The two were married in 1950 and had three children. Varian Fry had represented the Emergency Rescue Committee in Marseilles in 1940-1941, aiding Jewish and non-Jewish antifascist refugees escape to safety through his legal French relief organization, the American Relief Center (Secours Américain).

Physical Details

Language: English French
Genre/Form: Photographs.
Extent: 1 box
1 oversize folder
System of Arrangement: The Annette Fry papers are arranged as six series: I. Photographs, approximately 1940s, II. Correspondence, 1940-1968, III. Address book, 1958, IV. Book jacket, 1945, V. Etchings, approximately 1940s

Rights & Restrictions

Conditions on Access: There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
Conditions on Use: Material(s) in this collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.

Keywords & Subjects

Topical Term: Emergency Rescue Committee. Political refugees--France.
Geographic Name: Marseille (France)
Personal Name: Fry, Varian, 1907-1967.
Corporate Name: Emergency Rescue Committee

Administrative Notes

Holder of Originals: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: Annette Fry donated the Annette Fry papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1997.
Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Record last modified:: 2023-08-24 15:16:04
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn80092

Additional Resources

Finding Aid (English)

Download & Licensing

In Copyright - Use Permitted
Terms of Use
This record is not digitized and cannot be downloaded online.

In-Person Research

Not Available for Research: Out for Digitization
Plan a Research Visit
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Also in Annette Fry collection

The Annette Fry collection includes photographic material, correspondence, art objects, and publications documenting Varian Fry’s work for the Emergency Rescue Committee in France, some of the artists and intellectuals he aided, and travels around Europe.