Alfred Neumann architectural records and papers, 1900-1985, bulk 1950s-1960s

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Series I: Personal Papers

Comprised of five subseries: Biographical, School Papers, Photographs, Travel, and Other Papers. The first subseries contains birth certificates, biographies and CVs, bank notes from the Terezín ghetto, legal papers, obituaries, and passports. The second subseries contains diplomas from the Akademie der bildenden Kunste in Vienna, the Behrens Prize, matriculation and course certificates from the Deutsche Technische Hochschule in Brno, and student architectural drawings. The third subseries contains portrait photographs of Neumann, photographs of Neumann with students and colleagues, and photographs of friends and family. Subseries 4 contains extensive travel photographs and slides and ephemera from Neumann's travels in Asia. The fifth subseries contains a miscellany of address books, clippings and ephemera not pertaining to architecture, notes, doodles, Naomi Neumann's student and professional papers, and plant matter.


Subseries 1: Biographical



Box 7 Folder 20 Birth certificates and copies, 1900, 1943

2 birth certificates, 2 copies (German, Czech)



Box 7 Folder 21 Biographies, undated

Contains 10 biographies (English, French)



Box 7 Folder 22 CVs, 1960s, undated

Contains CVs In English, French, and German; with drafts, notes, and edits



Box 9 Folder 11 Canada Immigration Identity Card, 1966

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 7 Folder 23 Legal papers, 1920, 1921, 1948, 1949, 1965, 1960s

Military service (3 documents), divorce papers (2 documents), Czech citizenship papers (3 documents), Canadian social insurance cards (2), statement of salary/pay stub from Universite Laval, Quebec (German, Czech, French)



Box 7 Folder 24 Passports and identification, 1931-1968

Czech (3), Israeli (6), French identification card, German Reich legitimation (1940) (also contains negative copies)



Box 7 Folder 25 Bank notes, 1943

Bank notes from Theresienstadt ghetto (Terezin); 20 notes in denominations of 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 (Neumann was imprisoned here from January to May, 1945)



Box 7 Folder 26 Notes on Sigmund Neumann's factory, undated

Contains notes on Neumann's father's business (German), possible drawings of the factory or office



Box 9 Folder 12 Marriage document (ketubah) for Alfred Neumann and Naomi Gottesman, 1962

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 7 Folder 27 Homily for Neumann's funeral, 1968

Delivered by Father Alberas, October 1968



Box 7 Folder 28 Obituaries, 1968

Obituaries clipped from the French-Canadian newspaper Le Soleil (multiple copies)


Subseries 2: School Papers



Shelf C017ft Portfolio (oversize) Diploma, 1925 July 1

Original, from the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in Vienna (signed by Peter Behrens, Rudolf Bacher, and Clemens Holzmeister)(German)



Box 7 Folder 29 Diplomas, 1925, 1947

Contains 2 diplomas from the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in Vienna (signed by Peter Behrens, Rudolf Bacher, and Clemens Holzmeister), 5 copies and 5 negative copies (German)



Box 7 Folder 30 Certificates and assistanceship papers, 1908-1927

Matriculation certificate, course certificates from the Deutsche Technische Hochschule in Brunn (8, with 2 negative copies), assistanceship papers (2, with 1 negative copy)



Box 7 Folder 31 Behrens Prize, 1924, 1947

Contains 2 documents (German)



Box 7 Folder 32 Reference from Peter Behrens, 1927

Contains testimonial regarding Neumann's studies and work under Behrens (German)



Box 7 Folder 33 Portrait of Peter Behrens, by Max Liebermann, undated

Possibly an etching; Liebermann was a printmaker known for his etchings and lithographs



Box 7 Folder 34 Reproductions of student architectural drawings, undated

Contains photographic reproductions of drawings of bridges, buildings, building complexes, interiors, city plan, aerial views of cities, urban planning drawings for Breslau (Wroclaw), and a houseboat (33 photographs)


Subseries 3: Photographs



Box 7 Folder 35 Portraits of Alfred Neumann, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, undated

Portraits; includes passport photos, copy of childhood photograph, possible studio portraits by photographer Frence Grubner (71 photographs, 3 negatives)



Box 9 Folder 24 Portraits of Alfred Neumann, circa 1945-1968

13 photographs (includes photographs taken by Frence Grubner)

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 7 Folder 36 Neumann with family and friends, 1928, 1950's undated

Neumann and others (at Place d'Alger, Achziv, possibly York) (17 photographs)



Box 7 Folder 37 Neumann with family and friends (photographic negatives), 1962-1963, undated

Alfred, Naomi, Eva, and friends (negatives for 136 photographs)



Box 9 Folder 23 Neumann with family in Quebec City, 1962-1964

5 photographs

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 7 Folder 39 Neumann at committees, 1953, 1956, 1960s, undated

Photographs of conferences and events attended by Neumann: Neumann with Max Bill, possibly at CIAM IX, 1953 (2 photographs); Arhziv, 1956 (22 photographs); Canada, 1960s (2 photographs and copies, with negatives); undated committee meeting, possibly CIAM VI (2 photographs)



Box 7 Folder 40 Neumann teaching and working, 1962, undated

Neumann with colleagues, possibly Zvi Hecker, 1962 (3 photographs); Neumann teaching, with Zvi Hecker and others, (1 photograph); Neumann teaching (4 photographs); Neumann with Le Corbusier, (1 photograph)



Box 9 Folder 18 Photograph of drawing by Zvi Hecker of Neumann on deathbed, 1968

2 photographs

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 7 Folder 38 Family and friends, 1962, 1963, undated

Family and friends, including Naomi Neumann, Zvi Hecker, Eldar Sharon, cats (35 photographs)



Box 9 Folder 21 Naomi Gottesmann, circa 1960s

2 photographs; married to Alfred Neumann from 1962 until his death

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 9 Folder 20 Frence Grubner and son, circa 1950s-1960s

12 photographs; Frence Grubner (also Franziska or Fränze Glasova) was a photographer; photographs are mostly of Frence when she was in Israel; likely girlfriend of Alfred Neumann

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 9 Folder 25 Valeri Slampova, circa 1940s

1 photograph; married to Alfred Neumann from 1938 to 1948

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 9 Folder 19 Eva [last name unknown], circa 1930s

4 photographs; possibly Alfred Neumann's girlfriend

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 9 Folder 17 Photograph wallet, Portraits of Neumann's mother (Hermine Hikl) and Neumann as a baby, undated

4 photographs in wallet

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 9 Folder 22 Neumann relatives, undated

2 photographs (removed from photograph wallet)

(Acq. 2022.003)


Subseries 4: Travel



Box 7 Folder 41 Travel documents and notes, 1939-1961, undated

South Africa, Japan, France, Italy; includes boarding pass, visa applications, immigration papers, tourism permits, notes (including addresses, objectives, packing list) (11 items)



Box 7 Folder 42 to 43 Travel photographs (Europe, Asia, Canada, U.S.), 1959, 1960's, undated

1 large envelope and 17 small envelopes containing a total of 551 photographs; includes travel to Britain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Japan, India, Boston, NY, other U.S. cities, Quebec



Box 7 Folder 44 to 47 Travels, photographic negatives (Canada, Israel, Asia, Europe), 1962-1963, undated

Travel, 1: Montreal and Quebec (negatives for 36 photographs); 2: Quebec City (1962-1963) (negatives for 18 photographs); 3: Israel and others (negatives for 34 photographs); 4: Asia (negatives for 588 photographs); 5: Europe (negatives for 271 photographs); 6: possibly Israel (negatives for 226 photographs); 7: other travel (negatives for 270 photographs)



Box 8 Folder 1 Travel in Asia (slides), undated

Labeled 5 through 12, contains personal travel photographs (103 slides, originally from slide box 4, entitled Asia Travel)



Box 8 Folder 2 Postcards (Japan), 1959

From travel in Japan (2 postard booklets, 3 postcard folders, 19 loose postcards)


Subseries 5: Other Papers



Box 8 Folder 3 Address books, undated

Leather bound, pocket-sized, contain Parisian, Israeli, and Quebec City addresses; may have been used during travel (3 items)



Box 8 Folder 4 Notes, 1951, undated

Includes addresses of correspondents, letterhead for Sigmund Neumann (includes 2 notepads)



Box 8 Folder 5 Doodles, undated

Mainly contains rough sketches and fragments of drawings not pertaining to projects or research



Box 8 Folder 6 Clippings, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s

Newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements, and ephemera not pertaining to architecture



Box 9 Folder 13 Clippings, 1961-1968

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 8 Folder 7 Ephemera, undated

Includes Wesleyan University brochure, information card for the graphic artist Antonin Prochazka, reproduction of an unspecified building, other items possibly from travels to France, Japan, Italy, India, South Africa; includes postcards, business cards, pamphlets, map, menu



Box 9 Folder 14 Ephemera, charms, circa 1900s

Includes a double-sided portrait of possibly Neumann (child) and his father

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 9 Folder 16 Ephemera, lace doll, undated

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 9 Folder 15 Ephemera, items removed from photograph wallet, undated

Dried clovers wrapped in paper, fragment with sketch, and an omamori

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 8 Folder 8 Poem, undated

Contains possible love poem (English)



Box 9 Folder 26 Postcards sent to Neumann, circa 1960s

(Acq. 2022.003)



Box 8 Folder 9 Plant matter, undated

Contains 5 envelopes of four leaf clovers (some labeled 'Kleetshen von Fredl'), 1 envelope of large seeds and other plant fragments



Box 8 Folder 10 Naomi Neumann's student and professional papers, 1966, 1967

Contains a five year transcript for studies at the Technion (English), and brain-storming lists, a possible exercise pertaining to the architecture of tourism, for Universite Laval (French)



Box 8 Folder 11 Student architectural drawings, possibly by Andre Sive or another contemporary of Neumann, undated

Contains photographic reproductions of drawings of buildings and of a city map (possibly for a project involving urban planning for the city of Berlin), some of which may have involved Neumann, but which were originally kept in a folder labeled Andre Sive (8 photographs)



Drawer 198 Folder 3 Sketch by a student, 1960

Contains 1 sketch dedicated to Neumann, probably by an Israeli student



Drawer 198 Folder 4 Reproductions of artworks, undated

Contains Japanese artwork, 2 paintings by Israeli children



Drawer 198 Folder 5 Posters, 1954, 1957, undated

Contains 2 Sao Paulo exhibition posters, poster for the 4th International Conference of Architectural Students in Copenhagen, Israeli poster featuring a poem in Hebrew with accompanying illustration