Some 65 items of ephemera relating to the work of the painter Saul Raskin. Ca. 1930s to 1960s. English, with some Yiddish and Hebrew.
The collection includes: • Invitation cards to Raskin's exhibitions and to various events held in his honor, including an invitation to a reception to welcome Raskin back to New York following a visit to Palestine (1946); invitations to events marking his birthdays; invitations to his exhibitions at the Hebraica gallery in New York; an invitation to a retrospective exhibition at the Mishkan LeOmanut Museum of Art at Kibbutz Ein Harod on the occasion of his 85th birthday (1963); and more. • Brochures for various exhibitions, and brochures advertising the publication of books dealing with Raskin's works. • Brief autobiographical summary, printed on glossy paper (English). • Article by Raskin on the subject of the Labor Legion in Migdal, typewritten (English). And more.
The collection also includes a small drawing in pencil, on lined paper: cello player (unsigned), and a number of handwritten items by Raskin, including: • A biographical information sheet. • A list titled "Jewish Art in Theory and Practice" (outline for a lecture?), written in pen on the back of a brochure advertising the launch of a new portfolio comprising 20 color reproductions and titled "Saul Raskin: Twenty Full Color Plates" (1953). • Brief letter, signed, written on a printed brochure advertising the publication of Raskin's book, "Saul Raskin: 125 Paintings, Drawings, Etchings" (ca. 1938).

Size and condition vary.

Saul Raskin (1878-1966), born in Nogaisk (today Prymorsk, Ukraine), and trained in the art of lithography in Simferopol, Crimea. Wandered throughout Europe and studied art in Odessa, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Italy. Immigrated to the United States in 1904, where, among other things, he produced caricatures and cartoons for Yiddish journals, and illustrations for books. He also taught art and served as an art critic. At the age of 43, following a visit to Palestine – a deeply moving experience in his life – he began his career as a professional painter. Many of his works focused on Jewish tradition; these included illustrations for the Mishnaic "Ethics of the Fathers, " the Passover Haggadah, and the Five Megilloth. Raskin was regarded as one of the greatest of American Jewish painters. He self-identified as a Zionist, visited Palestine and the State of Israel a number of times, and painted works that featured its landscapes and inhabitants.