Register of the Irma C. Erman papers

Finding aid prepared by Devin McGeehan Muchmore
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2008, 2022
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu


Title: Irma C. Erman papers
Date (inclusive): 1891-1999
Collection Number: 78036
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In German, English, and Mandarin Chinese
Physical Description: 10 manuscript boxes, 19 oversize boxes, 1 painting (24.7 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Irma Erman (1908 August 10-2000 December 10) was a German-Jewish writer and artist, and refugee to Shanghai and the United States. The collection documents her life and creative work, and includes poetry, plays, artworks, correspondence, research materials, and photographs. Also contains materials by her friend and fellow refugee to Shanghai and the United States, Dr. Ernst Blumenberg.
Creator: Erman, Irma C., 1908-2000
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Access

Boxes 11-29 and art rack items may not be used with permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Use

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Acquisition Information

Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1978.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Irma C. Erman papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Processing Information

When the processing archivist received the collection, the records were not in a discernable order. About half of the paper materials were held in three-pronged folders, with additional papers, photographs, artworks, and some frames interfiled inbetween. These folders form the basis of the series, as there were distinct folders for letters and associated research materials, writings, legal materials, and materials from Erman's friend Ernst Blumenberg. The materials in these folders have been rehoused. Where possible, folder titles have been retained. Series and file-level notes indicate if the processing archivist rearranged the materials chronologically to facilitate use. Other paper materials have been organized alongside these folders in series.
Loose photographs have been rehoused for preservation, with slight arrangement by date (if applicable).
The majority of the artworks were received by the processing archivist having undergone preliminary preservation treatment by Hoover staff.

Biographical Note

Irma C. Erman (1908 August 10-2000 December 10) was a German-Jewish and, later, American writer and artist. Born to Joseph and Clementine Ermann in 1908, Erman grew up with her sister Elly in Hannover, Germany. In 1930, she married Paul Cohn (1897 December 14 – 1952 January 20), then a co-owner of a men's clothing business. Erman traveled extensively in the coming decade, visiting England, Portugal, Greece, Argentina, and Uruguay, among other destinations.
These travels took place amid dramatic restriction of the rights of Jews by the Nazi-led German government. Following the events of Kristallnacht in 1938, during which Cohn's business was targeted, Erman and Cohn fled Germany. In 1939, they arrived in Shanghai, taking advantage of the city's lack of visa requirements. Together with the city's community of over 20,000 Jewish refugees, in 1943 they were forced by Japanese officials to reside in the "Restricted Sector for Stateless Refugees," dubbed a ghetto by its Jewish residents.
In 1948, Erman and Cohn left Shanghai for San Francisco, California, arriving in August. Cohn died in 1952. Erman would live in Northern California for the rest of her life.
In 1955, Erman married Eugene Mullaly Vinson. They divorced shortly thereafter, in April 1956. That same year, Erman made her first return trip to Hannover in order to pursue restitution claims. The partial success of these claims, in addition to her status as a landlord in California, were likely Erman's primary means of support.
Erman devoted significant time to creative pursuits. She wrote poetry in German throughout her time in Shanghai and in the decades after. She brought these poems together in the unpublished collection "Einige Gedichte," first in 1978 and again in 1986. In 1991, she self-published a collection of her poetry, featuring German poems with English and Mandarin Chinese translations, as "For One World in Peace: Memories of a Woman Poet & Painter of the 20th Century."
By the 1950s, Erman was also active as a visual artist, working in acrylic, watercolor, and pastels. Landscapes—most often remembered from the past—were among Erman's most frequent genres, though she also produced detailed studies of plantlife. Erman also created what she termed "collages," stone and geode fragments attached to boards in patterns.
Erman also wrote two plays during the 1970s. She spent much of the decade working on a script that offered a fictionalized account of her flight from Germany and time in Shanghai, first titled "A Second in History (A Document for Peace)" (1971) before becoming "Odyssey Shanghai (A Monument for Peace)" (1978). In 1976, she drafted "A Dream Drama with Justitia," a play that, in part, dramatizes the story of the Swiss police officer Paul Grüninger. Erman never staged or published these plays, but sent them to the Hoover Institution and Leo Baeck Institute for preservation.
Irma Erman died in 2000.

Scope and Content of Collection

This collection documents the life and creative work of Irma Erman (1908 August 10-2000 December 10), a German-Jewish writer and artist, and refugee to Shanghai and the United States. A majority of the collection consists of materials related to Erman's artistic and writerly practice. Handwritten, typed, and printed versions of her poetry, some of it first drafted in the 1930s and 1940s; multiple versions of Erman's plays from the 1970s; and several pages of autobiographical prose document Erman's thinking and reflection on her time in Shanghai, antisemitic persecution, war and peace, friendship, art, and the natural world. Among the dozens of artworks, mostly created between the 1970s and 1990s, are watercolor and acrylic paintings, pastel drawings, and three-dimensional "collages."
Other materials stem from Erman's friendships, research and civic interests, and daily life. The collection includes a substantial volume of poetry by and letters from Dr. Ernst Blumenberg (1888-1973), a fellow German-Jewish refugee in Shanghai and, in the decades after, Erman's close friend. Other correspondents include Michiko Shibata, the widow of Mitsugi Shibata, who served as a Japanese consul in Shanghai during World War II; German U-boat captain and later NATO official Erich Topp and his family; German consul in San Francisco Heinz Pallasch; and others. In addition to a small cache of vital records, her biographical file includes records of Erman's 1950s and 1960s efforts to win restitution as a victim of National Socialist persecution. Photographs spanning the 1910s to the 1990s offer evidence of Erman's relationships and travels, including some photos from her 1930s journey to Shanghai. The collection also includes a small recipe book documenting Erman's evolving engagement with multiple food cultures.

Arrangement Statement

The collection has been arranged in seven series: Biographical file, Correspondence, Writings, Ernst Blumenberg poetry and letters, Artwork, Photographs, and Miscellaneous.

Related Materials

The Leo Baeck Institute holds the Irma C. Erman collection, AR 4106.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

World War, 1939-1945 -- Jews
Jews -- Germany
Paintings
Germans -- United States
Art objects
Antisemitism -- History
Germans -- China
Drama
Jewish refugees
Dramatists, German
California, Northern
Poetry
Grüninger, Paul, 1891-
Shibata, Mitsugi, -1977
Blumenberg, Ernst

 

Biographical File 1912-1999, undated

Scope and Contents

This series contains identification and other biographical documents for Irma Erman and her first husband, Paul Cohn.
box 1, folder 1

Marriage and divorce papers 1930-1956

box 1, folder 2

German passport 1939

box 1, folder 3

Pao Chia Census Form 1943

Scope and Contents

Police census form from Shanghai. It indicates Erman and Cohn's dates of arrival, employers, and 1943 address.
box 1, folder 4

International refugee forms and identification cards approximately 1947

box 1, folder 5

United States immigration and naturalization papers 1948-1954

box 1, folder 6

Doctor's certification 1955

Scope and Contents

A description of Erman's health by Dr. Ernst Blumenberg.
box 1, folder 7

United States passports and identification cards 1958-1999, undated

box 1, folder 8

Paul Cohn biographical documents 1912-1970

Scope and Contents

Among Paul Cohn's biographical materials are a German passport, U.N. refugee and U.S. resettlement forms, police and school character certificates from Germany, foreigner registration forms from Shanghai, a membership card for B'nai B'rith in Shanghai, and his death certificate.
 

Legal and financial files 1947-1981

box 1, folder 9-12

Restitution materials 1947-1967, undated

Scope and Contents

This file documents Erman's pursuit of restitution for harms to her health, property, and freedom due to antisemitic persecution in Hannover and Shanghai. Legal documents relating to her claims against the Hannover government contain narratives of her life and wellbeing in Germany and China, as well as details about Cohn's businesses. Also included are documents related to Cohn's attempts to recover an insurance payment for losses of property during Kristallnacht.
box 1, folder 13

Paul Cohn last will 1949 July 4

box 1, folder 14

Palo Alto house sale 1967

box 1, folder 15

Jewelry appraisal 1981 April

 

Correspondence 1959-1993, undated

Scope and Contents

This series contains Erman's folders of correspondence, dating primarily to the 1970s and 1980s. Letters to and from Erman, as well as associated clippings, speeches, and writings, document Erman's interests in antisemitism and those who worked against it, moments of civic engagement, her efforts to preserve her creative works, as well as some of her friendships. The largest folders include letters from German consul Heinz Pallasch, correspondence relating to her efforts to contact World War II-era Japanese consul Mitsugi Shibata, and letters from former U-Boat commander Erich Topp and his son Michael Topp.
box 2, folder 1

General 1960-1992

Scope and Contents

This file includes brief exchanges with Calvin and Ralphia Cape, Mabel Quon, Mr. Y. Miyamoto, Ginette Arnaud, Gilbert Galaup, and the University of Toronto Press. It also includes letters received from Lilly Herzberg, T.R. Puri, Hilde-Lis Nothdurft, and Chad Colley.
box 2, folder 2

Grüninger, Paul 1971-1973

Scope and Contents

This file contains research materials related to and a letter received from Paul Grünginger (1891 October 27 – 1972 February 22), a Swiss police officer who helped thousands of Jewish refugees to escape Austria in 1938. 
box 2, folder 3-7

Hoover Institution 1978-1993

Scope and Contents

The first folder contains Irma Erman's folder on the Hoover Institution, including correspondence regarding her periodic donations of plays, poems, and letters. The remaining folders consist of materials Erman donated to the Hoover Institution library during her lifetime.
box 2, folder 8

Leo Baeck Institute 1971-1978

Processing Information

This file originally consisted of two folders of material. The processing archivist discarded the first folder and placed its contents in a permalife folder. The red cover of the second, larger folder was removed and was placed in front of the folder's contents.

Scope and Contents

This file contains Erman's correspondence with the Leo Baeck Institute, including her inquiries into the history of Jewish refugees in 1930s and 1940s Shanghai, as well as letters relating to the donation of Erman's written work to the Institute. The file also contains a letter from the Association of Former Central European Refugees from Shanghai (Gemeinschaft ehemaliger Shanghaier). 
box 2, folder 9-10

Pallasch, Heinz 1977-1980, undated

Arrangement

The materials have been arranged chronologically. Undated items appear in the first folder. 

Scope and Contents

This file contains Irma Erman's correspondence with Heinz Pallasch, a junior German consul in San Francisco. Topics include the German Jewish community, antisemitism, as well as Pallasch's unwilling reassignment to Iceland in 1979. The file also includes numerous clippings and letters regarding Pallasch's advocacy for over 700 German citizens who claimed to have been scammed by Preferred Equities of Nevada, a Las Vegas land development firm. 
box 3, folder 1-2

Pallasch, Heinz 1977-1980, undated

box 3, folder 3

Shibata Yamada 1977-1980

Arrangement

The materials have been arranged chronologically.

Scope and Contents

This file contains letters documenting Erman's late-1970s efforts to contact Mitsugi Shibata, a World War II-era Japanese consul in Shanghai. Shibata would become known for warning the city's Jewish community about rumored German attempts to convince the Japanese government to eliminate Shanghai's Jewish population. Correspondents include the Jewish Community Center of Tokyo; Michiko Shibata, Mitsugi Shibata's widow; Shinichi Yamada, a reporter from the Sankei Shimbun newspaper; and Miss Mable Quon. 
box 3, folder 4-11

Topp, Erich and Michael 1961-1991, undated

Processing Information

This file brings together several folders of letters from members of the Topp family, particularly Erich and Michael Topp. A large, red expanding folder labeled "Mr. Erich Topp Michael Topp" containing letters, lectures, and interfiled smaller folders of letters has been split among five folders, arranged in the received order. In addition, three smaller folders grouped together letters and related materials from the Topp family. The processing archivist rehoused each in its own folder, retaining the received order.

Scope and Contents

This file contains letters from Erich Topp and Michael Topp, as well as some other members of the Topp family. Erich Topp (1914-2005) was a German U-boat captain, naval officer, NATO official, and engineer. His aunt, Anna Topp, was Jewish, surviving the Theresienstadt Ghetto during WWII. Michael Topp was Erich Topp's son.
Letters document the friendship between Erman and the Topp family between the 1960s and the 1990s, including discussions of the Topp's travels, Erman's chronic health issues, literary and cultural history, Erich Topp and Erman's respective writing projects, and Erich Topp's trip to West Berlin in search of information about his aunt Anna Topp. Also included are copies of some draft pages for Erich Topp's autobiography, lectures and articles on German literature, and an open letter to Mikhail Gorbachev by Michael Topp advocating for freedom of movement between the BRD and DDR.
 

Writings circa 1930s-1992, undated

Scope and Contents

This series includes materials related to Irma Erman's writing, including notebooks, multiple versions of her poetry and dramas, copyright materials, and translations of her 1991 volume For One World in Peace: Memories of a Woman Poet & Painter of the 20th Century.
 

Poetry 1970s-1992

Scope and Contents

This subseries helps to document Erman's poetic output, including handwritten and typed drafts of poems, her collections "Einige Gedichte" and "For One World in Peace: Memories of a Woman Poet & Painter of the 20th Century," and photocopies of some of her poems. Selected poem titles (with dates and some locations noted by Erman) include: "Am Hafen in Shanghai (1946)"; "April 1945 (In Shanghai – im Ghetto)"; "Cosmic Feeling (1971-1972)"; "Das Bauernhaus Meiner Freundin (1970)"; "Blick aus dem Fenster (Hannover, November 1970)"; "Chinesenstadt (1940)"; "Gebet (Weltkrieg II, in Shanghai im Ghetto, 1944)"; "Gedicht zu meinen "Collages" (Dezember 1971)"; "Kleines am Meer (1972)"; "Krieg in Shanghai (1944)"; "Novembertage 1938"; "Schicksalshafte Wanderungen und Verwandlungen (1941 – in Shanghai)"; "Wunsch (1939)"; and "Yosemite (1968)".
box 3, folder 12

1974 circa 1970s

Scope and Contents

This file contains typed and photocopied versions of many of Erman's poems, including poems originally composed between 1939 and 1972.
box 3, folder 13

New Poems circa 1970s

Scope and Contents

This file includes handwritten drafts of numerous poems originially dating between 1968 and 1975, prose reflections on the U.S. and her experiences writing drama, prose reflections upon her relationship with Ernst Blumenberg on the occasion of his death, and handwritten fragments from a play.
box 4, folder 1

"Einige Gedichte" 1978-1989

Processing Information

This file brings together four, paper and plastic, pronged folders. The contents of each folder were rehoused in distinct permalife folders.

Scope and Contents

This file contains four printings of Erman's poem collection "Einige Gedichte."
box 4, folder 2

Assorted poems circa 1970s-1980s

Scope and Contents

This file includes handwritten drafts of several poems, two pages of prose reflections on poetry in the context of her life as a refugee, and several typed and photocopied poems.
box 4, folder 3-4

Printed poems circa 1970s-1992

Scope and Contents

This file contains typed and photocopied versions of many of Erman's poems, including poems originally composed between 1939 and 1984.
box 4, folder 5

Original German Version circa 1980s

Scope and Contents

This file contains photocopied versions of many of Erman's poems, assembled as "Einige Gedichte."
box 4, folder 6

German poems before laser prinitng circa 1990-1992

Scope and Contents

This file contains photocopied versions of many of Erman's poems. It also includes a title page reading "Erinnerungen einer Dichterin und Malerin des 20. Jahrhunderts (fuer eine Welt in Frieden)."
box 4, folder 7

The Memories of a Poet of the 20th Century 1991

Scope and Contents

This file contains a handwritten, draft version of what would become her collection of poems "For One World in Peace" (1991).
box 4, folder 8

"For One World in Peace" 1991

Scope and Contents

This file contains Erman's self-published collection of poetry, "For One World in Peace: Memories of a Woman Poet and Painter of the 20th Century."
box 4, folder 9

Incomplete German Poems 1992

Scope and Contents

This file include printed versions of many of Erman's poems, including poems originally composed between 1939 and 1972.
 

Plays 1971-1978

Scope and Contents

This subseries includes materials related to Erman's playwriting in the 1970s. Included are copies and fragments of "A Moment in History (A Document for Peace)," Erman's 1971 fictionalized account of her departure from Germany, life in Shanghai, and subsequent reckoning with her experiences. It also includes typed and printed versions of "Odyssey Shanghai (A Monument for Peace)," a 1978 version of "A Moment in History" that includes a postscript discussing her efforts to contact Mitsugi Shibata. Finally, typed and printed versions of "A Dream Drama with Justitia," which dramatizes the story of the Swiss police officer Paul Grüninger, are included.
box 4, folder 10

Synopsis A Second in History 1971

box 4, folder 11

A Second in History Drama 1971 July

box 4, folder 12

"A Second in History" 1971 August 23

box 4, folder 13

"A Second in History" with poems 1971 August 23

box 4, folder 14

Typing of Odyssey Shanghai 1978

box 5, folder 1-2

"Odyssey Shanghai (A Monument for Peace)" 1978

box 5, folder 3

A Dream Drama draft pages circa 1976

Scope and Contents

This file contains typed, draft pages of "A Dream Drama with Justitia."
box 5, folder 4

Scene in Reichenhall circa 1976

Scope and Contents

This file includes handwritten and typed, draft pages of a scene from "A Dream Drama with Justitia."
box 5, folder 5

Original typing A Dream Drama 1976

box 5, folder 6

A Dream Drama notarized copy 1976

box 5, folder 7

"A Dream Drama with Justitia" 1976

box 5, folder 8-9

Printed play fragments 1976-1978

Scope and Contents

This file includes interfiled pages from "A Dream Drama with Justitia," "A Second in History," and "Odyssey Shanghai."
 

Miscellaneous circa 1968-1990s, undated

Scope and Contents

This subseries includes folders not easily grouped with simply poetry or plays. It includes a notebooks with handwritten poems and autobiographical prose, a short story featuring Charlie Chaplin, Erman's lyrics to Ernst Hirsch-Haramaty's "Am Hafen in Shanghai," and two folders containing handwritten and typed draft poetry, play scenes, and autobiographical reflections. Also included are copyright materials and documents related to the translation of Erman's poetry into Mandarin Chinese.
box 5, folder 10

Notebook circa 1930s-1950s

Scope and Contents

This file contains a fragile, brick red notebook with "Agentur des Rauhen Hauses Drückerei" stamped on first page. Writings include draft poems, notes on Chinese cultural history, and Erman's prose reflections upon her past experiences.
box 5, folder 11

Material to keep circa 1968-1976

Scope and Contents

This file includes handwritten drafts of several poems, as well as handwritten draft pages from "A Dream Drama with Justitia."
box 6, folder 1-2

Assorted writings 1969-1992

Scope and Contents

This file brings together two folders of interfiled poems, plays, and prose. Pages include multiple handwritten and printed versions of Erman's poetry, various handwritten and printed versions of "A Dream Drama with Justitia" and "Shanghai Odyssey," and several pages of autobiographical writing on Erman's upbringing, the conditions surrounding her flight from Germany, and her time in Shanghai.
box 6, folder 3

Copyright Matters 1971-1972

Scope and Contents

This file documents Erman's efforts to secure U.S. copyright for her lyrics to Ernst Hirsch-Haramaty's "Am Hafen in Shanghai," as well as for her play "A Second in History."
box 6, folder 4

"Am Hafen in Shanghai" papers 1972 undated

Scope and Contents

This file includes sheet music and Erman's lyrics for Ernst Hirsch-Haramaty's "Am Hafen in Shanghai."
box 6, folder 5

Chaplain Story Alaska 1973

Scope and Contents

This file contains a handwritten, short story featuring Charlie Chaplin.
box 6, folder 6

"Memories of a Woman Poet and Painter of the 20th Century" Mandarin translation 1991

Scope and Contents

This file includes Mandarin Chinese translations of Erman's poetry by Philip Tam. These translations were featured in "For One World in Peace."
box 6, folder 7

Philip Tam translation papers 1991

Scope and Contents

This file documents Philip Tam's Mandarin Chinese translation work for Erman's collection of poetry, "For One World in Peace."
 

Ernst Blumenberg poetry and letters 1891-1973, undated

Biographical / Historical

Ernst Blumenberg was a German and Jewish-American physician, poet, and close friend of Irma Erman. Born in Einbeck, Germany in 1888, he attended the Universities of Göttingen and Berlin. After serving in the German Medical Corps during World War I, he worked as a neurologist and physician in Nennedorf.
In 1937, he was arrested for having a relationship with a non-Jewish woman. After his release in 1939, he fled to Shanghai, where he practiced medicine for almost ten years. He was Erman's physician in Shanghai.
In 1948, he left Shanghai for the United States, working as a psychiatrist at Southwest State Mental Hospital in Marion, VA until 1958, when he joined the Salisbury Veterans Hospital in North Carolina. In 1953, he married Margaret, or "Grete."
As early as the 1920s, Blumenberg regularly wrote poetry, reflecting on nature, friendship, life, and death. He and Erman exchanged letters and poetry over the course of their friendship.
He died in 1973.

Processing Information

This large folder contained several folders of poetry, interfiled with poetry and letters. The letters were grouped together. The processing archivist kept the contents of the folders of poetry together, retaining the folder titles. Other poems have filed together as "Poems."

Scope and Contents

The materials in this series were originally contained in a large, off-white paper folder with "Ernst Blumenberg Beloved Friend" written on the front cover. The majority of the series consists of Blumenberg's poetry, including a handbound book of verse, written in a calligraphic hand. Also included are letters from Blumenberg, primarily from the 1960s and 1970s.
box 6, folder 8

Ernst Blumenberg Beloved Friend undated

box 6, folder 9

Hand-bound book of poetry undated

Scope and Contents

A 22-page, handbook book of Blumbenberg's poetry, written in a calligraphic hand. It includes an epigraphic poem by Hermann Hesse.
box 6, folder 10

Black notebook 1891-1925

Scope and Contents

A black notebook and papers originally held within. The notebook includes handwritten poems by Blumenberg and others.
box 6, folder 11-13

Poems 1925-1973, undated

Scope and Contents

This file contains numerous drafts of Blumenberg's poems, as well as translations of Robert P. Tristam Coffin, James H. Cousins, Douglas Gibson, Carl Sandburg, and Kaye Gibson. Some drafts are composed in German shorthand.
box 10, folder 5

Gelegenheitsgedichte 1930s-1950s

Scope and Contents

This file includes drafts of Blumenberg's poems, some written in German shorthand.
box 10, folder 6

Poem on China South ad 1940s

Scope and Contents

A graphic ad from China South Tobacco Company, with a handwritten poem by Blumenberg on the back.
box 10, folder 7-8

Gedichte EB 1940s-1950s

Scope and Contents

This file includes drafts of Blumenberg's poems, some written in German shorthand.
box 10, folder 9-10

Letters to Irma Erman 1951-1972, undated

Scope and Contents

This file of letters helps to document Blumenberg's close friendship with Erman while living apart. Among the topics addressed in Blumenberg's letters are commentary on Erman's poetry, human nature, war and peace, health remedies, his work as a physician, memories of Shanghai, and the passage of time.
 

Artwork 1939-1995, undated

Scope and Contents

This series includes Erman's paintings, drawings, and what Erman called "collages," which were geodes and stones affixed to wood or plastic in various patterns. Paintings include acrylic and watercolor painting on paper, boards, canvas, and in sketchpads. Drawings are in pastel and charcoal. Both paintings and drawings depict domestic and mountain landscapes, bamboo, cherry blossoms, and flowers. Erman created the majority of this artwork between the 1970s and 1990s, though there is a watercolor painting in box 11 dating to 1939. Also included are reference photos of some of Erman's artwork. The photos do not document every piece in this collection, and some photos include artworks not present in this collection.
 

Collages undated

box 7, envelope 1-6

Reference photographs circa 1990-1992

box 12

undated

Physical Description: 2 mixed-media artworks

Conditions Governing Access

Box 12 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 16

undated

Physical Description: 2 mixed-media artworks

Conditions Governing Access

Box 16 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 29

undated

Physical Description: Mixed-media artwork

Conditions Governing Access

Box 29 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 13

1994, undated

Physical Description: 2 mixed-media artworks

Conditions Governing Access

Box 13 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 19

1994, undated

Physical Description: 2 mixed-media artworks

Conditions Governing Access

Box 19 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 20

1994-1995

Physical Description: 2 mixed-media artworks

Conditions Governing Access

Box 20 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
 

Paintings 1971-1991, undated

box 7, envelope 7-25

Reference photographs circa 1990-1992

box 21

undated

Physical Description: 1 framed acrylic painting

Conditions Governing Access

Box 21 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 24

undated

Physical Description: 1 framed acrylic painting

Conditions Governing Access

Box 24 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 25

undated

Physical Description: 1 framed acrylic painting

Conditions Governing Access

Box 25 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 27

undated

Physical Description: 1 framed acrylic painting

Conditions Governing Access

Box 27 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
art Rack

undated

Physical Description: 1 framed acrylic painting

Conditions Governing Access

May not be used without permission of the Archivist
box 14

1971, undated

Physical Description: 3 framed acrylic paintings

Conditions Governing Access

Box 14 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.

Scope and Contents

This box includes three acrylic paintings. One includes a label on the back reading "My garden in spring." Another includes a label on the back reading "Peach Sky-Ocean."
box 26

circa 1974-1975

Physical Description: 1 framed acrylic painting

Conditions Governing Access

Box 26 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.

Scope and Contents

This box includes an acrylic painting, with "Inside Passage Alaska" written on the back.
box 18

1983, undated

Physical Description: 3 framed acrlyic paintings

Conditions Governing Access

Box 18 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.

Scope and Contents

This box includes three acrylic paintings. "Variations for the same theme: my love of the ocean" is written on the back of one.
box 23

1983

Physical Description: 2 framed acrylic paintings

Conditions Governing Access

Box 23 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.

Scope and Contents

This box contains two acrylic paintings. One reads "Golden Gate park in spring" on the back.
 

Multiple materials 1939-1983, undated

box 7, envelope 26-35

Reference photographs circa 1990-1992

box 11, folder 11

"Perspektivlehre" undated

Scope and Contents

A paperbound book with pencil drawings and handwriting. The name Clara Felsenthal appears on the cover.
box 11

1939, 1970-1983, undated

Physical Description: 24 watercolor paintings; 2 sketchbooks with watercolor paintings; 7 acrylic paintings; 3 pastel drawings; 1 charcoal drawing; 1 photographs; 1 print; 1 folder photocopies

Conditions Governing Access

Box 11 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 28

1970, undated

Physical Description: 26 watercolor paintings and associated planning sketches; 1 sketchpad with watercolor paintings; 1 drawing by Michael Topp; 1 folder of photocopies

Conditions Governing Access

Box 28 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 17

1970, 1983, undated

Physical Description: 3 pastel drawings; 2 watercolor paintings; 3 acrylic paintings; one print

Conditions Governing Access

Box 17 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 15

1981, undated

Physical Description: 1 pastel drawing; 1 acrylic painting; 1 photocopy

Conditions Governing Access

Box 15 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
box 22

1982, undated

Physical Description: 5 acrylic paintings, 2 drawings

Conditions Governing Access

Box 22 may not be used without the permission of the Archivist.
 

Photographs circa 1910s-1990s

Arrangement

Portraits appear first. The snapshots are filed as "Miscellaneous photos" and arranged in approximate chronological order. 

Scope and Contents

This series contains several black-and-white and color portraits of Erman, family and friends, as well as about 200 snapshots spanning the 1930s to the 1990s. The bulk of the series consists of black-and-white snapshots, likely from the 1930s and 1940s, documenting Erman's life, relationships, and travels to Portugal, Greece, Egypt, Switzerland, Argentina, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, and other locations. Several photos document Erman's journey to Shanghai. 
box 7, folder 36

Portraits circa 1910s-1960s

box 8, envelope 1-7

Portraits circa 1910s-1960s

Scope and Contents

This file contains portraits of Erman, Paul Cohn, older family members, Ernst Blumenberg, and Erman's sister Elly.
box 8, envelope 8

Small album circa 1950s

Scope and Contents

A small, orange photo album from the Owl Drug Co. It includes 16 black and white photos of unidentified people.
 

Miscellaneous circa 1910s-1990s

Scope and Contents

This file contains dozens of snapshots, in black-and-white and color, documenting Erman's life, travels, and relationships. While some photos are dated, the majority of dates are estimates.
box 8, envelope 9

circa 1910s

box 8, envelope 10-11

circa 1920s-1940s

box 8, envelope 12-44

circa 1930s

box 8, envelope 45-51

circa 1930s-1940s

box 8, envelope 52-54

circa 1940s

box 8, envelope 55-57

circa 1940s-1950s

box 8, envelope 58-60

circa 1950s

box 8, envelope 61-67

circa 1960s

box 8, envelope 68-73

circa 1970s

box 8, envelope 74

circa 1970s-1980s

box 8, envelope 75-83

circa 1980s

box 8, envelope 84

circa 1980s-1990s

box 8, envelope 85-87

circa 1990s

box 7, folder 37

Interior Architecture undated

Scope and Contents

This folder includes three, black-and-white photos highlighting the interior design of a living room.
 

Miscellaneous 1968-1989, undated

Scope and Contents

This series includes miscellaneous records documenting Erman's everyday life and interests, including address books and a binder of recipes.
box 9, folder 1-2

Address books undated

box 9, folder 3

Axel Springer lecture and article 1978-1980

Scope and Contents

This file includes German publisher Axel Springer's 1978 November 2 lecture to the Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde Zürich and a 1980 editorial on European relations with Israel.
box 9, folder 4

Blick in das Weltall undated

Scope and Contents

This file contains an undated and unattributed lecture entitled "Blick in das Weltall."
box 9, folder 5

Clippings file 1976-1980

Scope and Contents

This file contains assorted newspaper clippings on authoritarianism and German reckoning with the Holocaust.
box 9, folder 6

In memoriam Else Lasker-Schüler undated

Scope and Contents

This file contains an undated and unattributed remembrance of the German-Jewish poet Else Lasker-Schüler.
box 9, folder 7

Nobel Peace Prize nomination 1998

Scope and Contents

This file includes a letter nominating Erman for a Nobel Peace Prize by journalist and documentarian J.R. Challacombe. It also contains sample poems that were to be included with the nomination.
box 8, envelope 88-92

Postcards circa 1930s-1970s

Scope and Contents

This file includes photographic and printed postcards, including photo postcards featuring Erman.
box 9, folder 8-10

Recipe book 1968-1978, undated

Scope and Contents

This file was originally held in a red, three-ring binder with "Easy-Vue Recipe Book" embossed on the cover. It includes handwritten recipes, typed recipes, recipe clippings from magazines and newspapers, as well as several years of Erman's written reflections on the relative success of her Thanksgiving cooking.
box 10, folder 1

Recipe book 1968-1978, undated

box 10, folder 2

Samuel Oliner conference paper 1983

Scope and Contents

This file includes a conference paper by Humboldt State University sociology professor Samuel Oliner entitled "The Unsung Heroes in Nazi Occupied Europe: The Antidote for Evil."
box 10, folder 3

Syndic de Copropriété printed matter 1989

Scope and Contents

This file includes printed publications related to the Syndic de Copropriété.
box 10, folder 4

Translation notebook undated

Scope and Contents

This file includes a small, personal dictionary with handwritten translations between English and German.