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 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.
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 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 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.