Twenty-nine letter envelopes exchanged between Jewish family members and relatives in Europe and the United States during the Holocaust period. The Camp de Gurs detention camp in France; Cologne, Germany; London, England; and New York, 1938-42.
1-10. Ten letter envelopes representing correspondence between Dr. Richard Katzenstein of Cologne, Germany, and his relative, Walter Katzenstein of New York. 1938-42. Nine were sent to New York, and one was mailed in the opposite direction and returned to sender. The envelopes from Cologne bear censor stickers and the inked stamps of approval of the Wehrmacht, as well as the inked stamps of the Cologne Judenrat (Jewish Council), of the sender (on one, the middle name "Israel" is added), and of other agencies; they also have postmarks and postage stamps of the Third Reich. The envelope from New York has American postmarks, inked stamps, and postage stamps. One envelope – the latest in this chain of correspondence – was sent by Dr. Richard Katzenstein from London, England in early 1942.
11-29. Nineteen letter envelopes representing correspondence between Hermann and Charlotte Doiny, a couple incarcerated in the Camp de Gurs detention camp in France, and their relatives in New York. 1940-42. Twelve of the envelopes were mailed from Camp de Gurs to New York, while the rest were sent in the opposite direction and returned to the sender. The envelopes sent from de Gurs bear the postmarks of the camp and the inked stamps of camp's censor and other agencies, as well as postage stamps of Vichy France. The envelopes sent from New York are marked with "Return to Sender" inked stamps in French and English, along with the inked stamps of the de Gurs's camp's censor, the Wehrmacht, and other agencies. They also have American postage stamps.
Also: Three of the envelopes still contain the letters (in German) originally enclosed in them.
Size and condition vary. Overall good condition.