Isabel Wiel papers, 1875-2005

Collection context

Summary

Creators:
Wiel, Isabel, 1916-2007
Extent:
34.5 linear feet (15, cartons, 10 flat boxes, 2 boxes)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Isabel Wiel papers, BANC MSS 2010/879,The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains documents and photographs relating to both Isabel Wiel's work and volunteer activities, and to the Sloss, Lilienthal, Gerstley, and Wiel families. The majority of the collection consists of photograph albums from later in Isabel Wiel's life and loosely depicts her daily activities. The collection also includes some correspondence, photographs, some family photo albums, some family documents, wedding invitations, birth and death certificates, obituaries, Gerstley/Sloss reunion invitations, Wiel family genealogical research, three family trees, clippings, recipes, and a medical pamphlet by Harry Wiel. The collection also includes materials from the Bohemian Club (to which Harry Wiel belonged) and a series of drafts of writings by Isabel Wiel describing her childhood, her education, and her work and volunteer activities, as well as a series of trips.

Biographical / historical:

Isabel Wiel, born on March 11, 1916, was the second daughter of Dr. Harry Isaac Wiel and Sarah Sloss Lilienthal Wiel, who married in 1910. Her maternal grandparents were Ernest R. Lilienthal and Hannah Isabelle [Bella] Sloss. Wiel graduated from Miss Burke's School [Katherine Delmar Burke] in San Francisco and attended Mills College in Oakland for two years. Her sister, Barbara, married Frank Dunn on 26 Oct. 1935. After leaving Mills, Wiel worked for Paul Elder & Company (1938-1941), before opening the Personal Bookshop with Gladys E. Seymour (also a former Paul Elder employee). Their partnership dissolved in 1946. Wiel then worked for the San Francisco Museum of Art (1946-1948), the Mills College Shop (1948-1954), White House (1954-1956), Grace Bell Secretarial College (1956-1957) and finally worked for McGraw-Hill, as Regional Benefits coordinator (1957-1973), before retiring. An active volunteer since the age of seven, Wiel volunteered for a variety of arts and cultural organizations, which included: the Oakland Museum, Golden Gate National Recreation Area (as a docent), the Golden Gate Park Carousel, and Angel Island. Isabel passed away on July 27, 2007.

Acquisition information:
The Isabel Wiel papers were transferred to The Bancroft Library from the Judah L. Magnes Museum in 2010.
Processing information:

Processed by Presley Hubschmitt in 2024 with funding from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation.

Accruals:

No future additions are expected.

Physical location:
Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
DACS

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Isabel Wiel papers, BANC MSS 2010/879,The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481