Object numberM1999/043:002
DescriptionPencil sketches on pieces of scrap paper, depicting little motifs such as umbrella, heart, flowerpot, church and watering can. One of the designs corresponds to the felt charms of artefact M1999/043:001.
Part of a collection of miniature felt charms made by Trude Baumann in Oederan concentration camp, Germany, 1944/1945.
Trude Baumann was a seamstress by profession when she was deported to Theresienstadt in November 1942. Two years later she was deported to Auschwitz and then to Oederan, a slave labour camp for women. Like many survivors, Trude did not speak about her experiences so her son could give no information on the charms when he donated them to the Museum.
An intern working in the Curatorial Department came up with a novel idea for research: she reached out to the Nuremburg Toy Museum. We learned that inmates at Oederan worked in a munitions factory that was once a textile mill. It is possible that scraps of fabric found in the factory were used for making charms, a common decorative element attached to shirts, blouses and cardigans. Another possibility is that inmates were forced to make the mementos handed out at street collections for the Winterhilfswerk (WHW) - a charity program steered by the Nazis to support poorer Germans under the slogan ‘None shall starve or freeze’. Donors received a little decoration in appreciation of their contribution; a new token could be collected each week to prove support for the cause. Although giving was voluntary, any who did not donate were exposed in local newspapers.
Part of a collection of miniature felt charms made by Trude Baumann in Oederan concentration camp, Germany, 1944/1945.
Trude Baumann was a seamstress by profession when she was deported to Theresienstadt in November 1942. Two years later she was deported to Auschwitz and then to Oederan, a slave labour camp for women. Like many survivors, Trude did not speak about her experiences so her son could give no information on the charms when he donated them to the Museum.
An intern working in the Curatorial Department came up with a novel idea for research: she reached out to the Nuremburg Toy Museum. We learned that inmates at Oederan worked in a munitions factory that was once a textile mill. It is possible that scraps of fabric found in the factory were used for making charms, a common decorative element attached to shirts, blouses and cardigans. Another possibility is that inmates were forced to make the mementos handed out at street collections for the Winterhilfswerk (WHW) - a charity program steered by the Nazis to support poorer Germans under the slogan ‘None shall starve or freeze’. Donors received a little decoration in appreciation of their contribution; a new token could be collected each week to prove support for the cause. Although giving was voluntary, any who did not donate were exposed in local newspapers.
Production date 1944 - 1945
Object namedrawings
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 147.00 mm
height: 100.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Michael John Baumann