THE NEW EXHIBITION IN THE WIENER HOLOCAUST LIBRARY
Drawn from the Library’s unique archives, first assembled in the 1930s by Dr Alfred Wiener to document and preserve evidence of the persecution of Jews in Europe, these private family photographs uncover a hidden history of pre-Nazi era Jewish life in Germany and Austria. Captions reveal the fates of some of the individuals depicted: persecution, deportation, annihilation, or escape. The images on display document everyday, intimate moments and expressions of culture and identity, creating a physical record of how the subjects wished to be seen and remembered. Today they appear as images of life and leisure on the brink of catastrophe.
Visitors are able to see poignant black and white photographs selected from the Wiener Holocaust Library archive, including photographs of many individuals who were later murdered in the Holocaust; homemade photo albums charting the rise of accessible amateur photography; eccentric late 19th century studio portraits; and never-before seen negatives taken during a Jewish soldier’s First World War service developed specially for this exhibition.
Curator of the exhibition, Helen Lewandowski, Assistant Curator, said: ‘We are drawn to these beautiful photographs because they enshrine everyday moments from lives that were soon to change forever. You might recognise yourself and your own family in these warm and personal snapshots and portraits.’ ‘I hope that this exhibition will start a conversation about family photographs and the way they are shown and used today. The images have their own histories as documents created in a certain time and place and then returned to by others years later.’
Senior Curator and Head of Education Dr Barbara Warnock, said: ‘The Wiener Holocaust Library holds the largest collection of pre Nazi-era Jewish family photographs in Britain. These precious materials document the lives of Jews in Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, giving us a unique insight into this lost world. The Library has a vital role to play in collecting and preserving these important historical images, and we are so pleased to be able to be share with the public some of these powerful photographs. This exhibition focuses on often overlooked photographs from our Jewish family papers collections and show the range and diversity of these documents: subjects are shown at home; on holiday; as professionals; as family members, and pursuing sporting and leisure activities. It is fascinating to see how people fashioned their own identities through the creation of these images.’
The Wiener Holocaust Library appreciates the generous support of Arts Council England towards the digitisation of family papers collections.
The Wiener Holocaust Library
The Wiener Holocaust Library presents a new exhibition that brings together over 100 never-before-seen portraits and snapshots from twelve Jewish families in the 1890s through the 1930s.