Trudy Jeremias Collection
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of three series: Series I deals with Trudy Jeremias herself; it is very small. Series II contains information on her closer family, most of all her mother Anna de Carmel. Series III includes information on Trudy's extended family: her stepfathers Walter Gutman and Felix Augenstein, as well as some distant relatives. There are no documents on Trudy Jeremias' father in this collection.
The largest part of the collection will be found in Series II: it features articles, publicity and original photographs on the work of Anna de Carmel, such as lampshades, paintings, and other objects. These paintings were titled "Dream Formations." One folder contains official and personal documents of Anna, such as passports and CVs.
Most of Series III features documents and newspaper clippings on Felix Augenfeld. Apart from clippings on his professional success, there is also a large portion of personal writings, among them a recollection of his time as a prisoner of war in Sicily and several poems. Family trees and some correspondence of the extended family may also be found in Series III, as well as a leather bound, printed poem.
Series IV: Photographs holds items depicting various family members whose papers are located in Series II and III. These photographs include family portraits as well as scenes of family vacations and trips.
Dates
- Creation: 1857-2008
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1930-1980
Creator
- Jeremias, Trudy (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in German and English, with some French.
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers.
Access Information
Part of the collection is digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.
Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. We recommend reserving the collection in advance; please visit the LBI Online Catalog and click on the "Request" button.
Use Restrictions
There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:
Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org
Biographical Note
Trudy's mother, Anna Friedlaender, was born in 1902. She married Felix Epstein, with whom she had two children: Peter (1923) and Trude (1925). They lived in Vienna until the Anschluss. In January 1939 the family arrived in New York.
Walking on a beach in California, Anna Epstein had the idea of using natural objects for art. She began to design lampshades out of seaweed. One of her first customer happened to be Eleanor Roosevelt. She was successful in New York City with her lampshades, pottery and ceramics. One of her customers happened to be Eleanor Roosevelt. She also received a prize for her designs from the Museum of Modern Art. Anna opened "Plus Studio" with a friend and her husband. Sometime later Anna (Anny) Epstein divorced Felix and married Walter Gutman-de Carmel. She then became known as Anna (Anny) de Carmel.
In 1944 Anna de Carmel became an American citizen and in 1960 married a third time. Her husband was Felix Augenfeld, born in 1893 in Vienna, who had served as an officer in World War I and then became an architect. He, too, had left Austria in 1938 and arrived in New York City in 1939. He was most famous for having designed Sigmund Freud's chair. Felix Augenstein died in 1984, and Anna Augenstein in 1993. Her daughter Trudy Jeremias became an artist, too.
Extent
1.5 Linear Feet
Abstract
The Trudy Jeremias Family Collection documents the lives of several family members of Trudy Jeremias, née Epstein. The largest part of the collection documents the life and art of her mother, Anna de Carmel, who left Vienna in 1938 and opened an arts studio in New York City. There is also material on her stepfathers Walter Gutman and Felix Augenstein. Felix was an architect who became famous for designing Sigmund Freud's chair. Only two clippings pertain to Trudy Jeremias herself.
Arrangement
This collection is comprised of four series:
Subject
- Jeremias, Trudy (Person)
- Augenfeld, Felix, 1893-1984 (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of the Trudy Jeremias Family 1857-2008 AR 25354
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Linda Selma Oberndoerfer, Friederike Haller and LBI Staff
- Date
- © 2009
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Edition statement
- This version was derived from TrudyJeremias.xml
Revision Statements
- July 2009.: Series IV: Photographs added to the EAD Finding Aid.
- March 2010.: Individual folder listing added to Series IV.
- March 2011: Links to digital objects added in Container List.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository
