John (Hans) and Trude Schiff Collection. 1913-2001 Bulk: 1920s-1960s

Abstract

This collection documents the professional and personal lives of John (Hans) and Trude Schiff, with emphasis on John Schiff's career as a professional photographer. Although the greater part of the collection focuses on his photography, the collection additionally holds papers pertaining to the Schiffs' immigration, legal and financial papers pertaining to restitution from Germany, documentation of Trude Schiff's early medical career, and personal correspondence and photographs. Aside from the preponderance of photographs, the collection holds letters, address books, exhibit catalogs, and official documents, and a few clippings.

This collection documents the professional and personal lives of John (Hans) and Trude Schiff, with emphasis on John Schiff's career as a professional photographer. Although the greater part of the collection focuses on his photography, the collection additionally holds papers pertaining to the Schiffs' immigration, legal and financial papers pertaining to restitution from Germany, documentation of Trude Schiff's early medical career, and personal correspondence and photographs. Aside from the preponderance of photographs, the collection holds letters, address books, exhibit catalogs, and official documents, and a few clippings.

Hans Schiff was born on November 7, 1907 in Cologne. After finishing high school and an apprenticeship he started working for his father's company, Schiff und Comp., which produced printed advertisements. In September 1938 he married Dr. Trude Löwenstein, a physician. He worked for his father as a traveling salesman until November 1938, when he was no longer allowed to work in this profession due to Germany’s racial laws. In 1933 he started learning about photography with occupational retraining in mind and took photos for several Jewish organizations. In July 1939 he and his wife left Germany for England, where they had to wait for their immigration visas to the United States. They came to the U.S. in March 1940. After working in a photofinishing plant for a few months he started working as a freelance commercial photographer and worked on location for art dealers and artists. He specialized in the reproduction of art work. He died in September 1976 in New York.

Trude Joan Schiff née Löwenstein, was born on May 28, 1907. She was the daughter of Adolf and Johanna Löwenstein. Trude studied medicine from 1926-1931 in Bonn, Innsbruck, Vienna and Cologne, where she obtained her medical degree in 1931. From July 1, 1931 until February 1, 1932 she was an intern at the Medical University Clinic Cologne-Lindenburg. Immediately afterwards she entered the Medical University Policlinic in Frankfurt am Main where she worked as an resident and later became assistant doctor. In April 1933, she had to leave the position due to being Jewish. In June 1933 she began working in the surgical department of the Jewish Hospital in Cologne ("Israelitisches Asyl") until she and her husband immigrated to England in the beginning of July 1939. In April 1940 Trude Schiff passed the English examination given by State University of New York at Albany, and in December of the same year she passed the licensing examination from the same institution so she could continue practicing her profession. She worked at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, among other institutions.