Finding aid for the Hansi Share papers 6160

Sue Luftschein
USC Libraries Special Collections
2018 July
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu


Language of Material: German
Contributing Institution: USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: Hansi Share papers
creator: Share, Hansi, 1887-1981
Identifier/Call Number: 6160
Physical Description: 0.42 Linear Feet 1 box
Date (inclusive): 1924-1971
Abstract: Hansi Share, creator of the Monica Doll, was a Jewish emigre to the United States from Germany. In Germany, she was married to Hermann Ploschitzki, co-owner of Karstadt, a German department store chain, who died in 1932. She was subsequently married to Julius Wilhem Fehr, and then Leon Share, who sponsored her emigration to the United States. After her emigration, she designed and created the Monica Doll, which was notable as the first doll to use real human hair implanted in the head. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, clippings, and legal and financial documents. Of particular note is the report on the house built by Hansi and her first husband, Hermann Ploschitzki, which was noted for its architectural design and its contents that included a sizable and valuable art collection (this information may have been prepared for a reparations case that Hansi brought against Germany), love letters between Hansi and Hermann, immigration and naturalization documents for Hansi, letters between Hansi and Vicki Baum, documents and correspondence regarding Hansi's estate planning, and photographs of Hansi and family members.
Container: 1

Biographical note

Hansi Share (1887-1981) was born Johanna Zender in Berlin. She was married to Hermann Ploschitzki, owner of a department store in Potsdam and co-owner of Karstadt, a department store group. Hermann died in 1932, leaving his wife a substantial amount of money and a valuable art collection. Hansi then married the painter and write Julius Wilhlem Fehr, who she divorced around 1941. As a Jew, Hansi experienced oppression under the Nazis, and emigrated to California in the late 1930s. She arrived penniless because the Nazis confiscated and sold all of her property, including the art collection. By 1940, Hansi was listed in the US Census (she became a naturalized citizen in 1945), which also lists her as being married to Leon M. Share, a Russian-American 11 years her junior, who sponsored her immigration. The two lived in Hollywood. In 1949, Leon is listed as the filer on a patent for a princess doll, which was created by his wife.
Hansi's dolls, produced between 1941 and 1957 by her Monica Doll Company, were noted for their use of real human hair rooted in the scalp, and faces that were modeled after famous Hollywood stars and that incorporated pouty lips and painted eyes. The bodies of these dolls were notable for being longer and leaner than other dolls of the period. They were marked with the names Monica, Veronica, Joan, Rosalind and Marion and sold at upscale stores like Neiman Marcus and F.A.O. Schwarz.
[Adapted from Wikipedia, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansi_Share]

Content Description

The Hansi Share papers, 1924-1971, include correspondence, photographs, clippings, and legal and financial documents created and collected by Hansi Share, creator of the Monica Doll. Included is a report on the house built by Hansi and her first husband, Hermann Ploschitzki, which was noted for its architectural design and its contents that included a sizable and valuable art collection (this information may have been prepared for a reparations case that Hansi brought against Germany), love letters between Hansi and Hermann, immigration and naturalization documents for Hansi, letters between Hansi and Vicki Baum, documents and correspondence regarding Hansi's estate planning, and photographs of Hansi and family members.

Conditions Governing Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Preferred Citation

[Box/folder no. or item name], Hansi Share papers, Collection no. 6160, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Processing Information

The collection is unprocessed.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Jews -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Germany -- Emigration and immigration -- History -- 1933-1945 -- Archival resources
United States -- Emigration and immigration -- History -- Archival resources
Clippings
Correspondence
Financial records
Legal documents
Photographs
Reports
Share, Hansi, 1887-1981 -- Archives