Model of the Tabernacle by Maud A. Duthoit. London: Rudd & Co., [ca. 1903]. English.
Large assembly kit of a model of the Tabernacle, placed in a cardboard box. The kit includes the actual structure of the Tabernacle, made of golden cardboard, a roll of oil-painted fabric serving as the ground of the Tabernacle courtyard, sheets of colored paper representing the Tabernacle curtains, wire hooks symbolizing the ropes anchoring the courtyard hangings, a cardboard fence surrounding the Tabernacle, with debossed pillars, miniature metal and paper models of the Candelabra, Ark of the Covenant, Altar of Incense, Altar of Burnt-Offerings, Table of Showbread, Laver and High Priest wearing his vestments. The kit is accompanied by a booklet describing the structure of the Tabernacle and its utensils, "Handbook to accompany the Model of the Tabernacle", concluding with a folding plate of diagrams illustrating the supposed method of setting up the Tabernacle. The box containing the kit bears a label with an illustration of the Tabernacle and its furniture, in color.
Eretz Israel, its history and antiquities, was a source of wonder to 19th century Victorian England. As the cradle of the Bible and Christianity, as well as a political crossroad of interests whose significance became increasingly evident to the various powers, Eretz Israel became a religious and scientific focal point, and consequently, the focus of touristic and artistic interest as well. For those who could not visit the Holy Land, a privilege enjoyed by the wealthy class only, the Holy Land came to the British Isles; at first through drawings, maps, prints and even photographs, and later with models and panoramas exhibited in the main cities. In the middle of the century, smaller models, for display in private homes, became popular. Some represented present-day Jerusalem, while others attempted to portray the city as it appeared in the time of the Temple. This model, produced as an educational tool for imparting Biblical knowledge, well reflects the spirit of the times.
Box: 53X14.5 cm. Base: 86X50.5 cm. Booklet: 16 pages, [1] plate. 18 cm. Overall fair-good condition. Damage to assembly parts. Box in poor condition, worn and stained. Many tears to box.

"Gedolei Israel" [Jewish Leaders] - Composite photograph with captions. "Composed by Yisrael… Wiesen, sofer… prayer leader and posek from Hungary, here in Hamburg". [Hamburg, 1876].
Portraits of forty-four rabbis, public figures, maskilim, doctors and scholars; mostly from Germany, Holland, Poland, England and France. These include: Moses Montefiore, R. Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (the Ketav Sofer), R. Eliyahu Guttmacher, R. Wolf Heidenheim, R. Shimshon Refael Hirsch, R. Yaakov Ettlinger (the Aruch LaNer), Chacham Yitzchak Bernays of Hamburg, R. Akiva Lehren of Amsterdam, R. Elchanan Rosenstein of Berlin, Jonas Jeitteles of Prague, and many others (the names are written in Hebrew beneath the portraits).
The name and address of the publisher, with the year of publishing, are recorded at the foot of the leaf. The publisher included his portrait amongst those of the Torah leaders.
Photograph. 19.5X22 cm. Good condition. Stains. Mounted on thick paper.

"LeZecher Olam Yiheye Tzaddik! Picture of the Rabbi, Tzaddik and Gaon, R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch". Lithograph. [Vilnius: N. Metz, 1886].
In the picture, the Rebbe is portrayed in his home, on the background of his library, dressed in white Shabbat garments. A book rests on his knees with his eyeglasses on it. Captions below the portrait: "LeZecher Olam Yiheye Tzaddik! Picture of the Rabbi, Tzaddik and Gaon, R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch of blessed memory" and (in Russian) "Portrait of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Mendel Schneerson".
The portrait was drawn after an oil painting made in the Tzemach Tzedek's old age. In issue 96 of the periodical "Di Yidishe Heym" (p. 15), it is described: "An unknown non-Jewish painter, wished to paint the portrait of the Tzemach Tzedek, however, knowing that he will not be able to do so in the regular manner - as the Tzemach Tzedek will not agree - he had an idea: He came on a Saturday to the Tzemach Tzedek and looked at him closely, memorizing his holy face. In order to retain the moment in his memory, the painter hurried home, with his eyes almost closed, and as soon as he arrived he took his painting tools and started to draw what he saw - on canvas. Later, when the Tzemach Tzedek saw the painting, he was very upset about it, since it was painted on Shabbat (the Tzemach Tzedek is portrayed in his Shabbat garments), but was somewhat comforted since the painter made several mistakes: (a) The gentile painter painted the overcoat of the Tzemach Tzedek with the left side closed over the right side - as worn by non-Jews, whereas Jews do the opposite, with the right over the left. (b) The Tzemach Tzedek is seen holding a book. While holy books are written and read from right to left, and this is the way they are opened - to the right, the gentile painter drew the book like the books of gentiles - opened to the left".
This painting was used as a source for numerous prints. This lithograph is the first print known to have been created after the painting. In later prints the plate was reversed, so as to portray the book as opening to the right and the right side of the overcoat closed over the left side.
24X36 cm. Damaged copy. Margins trimmed, scarcely affecting the lithograph, but removing the imprint. Stains, damage and wear. Mounted on cardboard for restoration.
Literature: Shalom Dovber Levine, Treasures from the Chabad Library, Brooklyn, 2009, pp. 257-262.