Guide to the Papers of Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert (1900-1981),
1927-1995

Series I: Personal, 1953-1995.

Arrangement:

Folders are arranged alphabetically by title.

Scope and Content:

Series I consists of personal papers pertaining to Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert's life. It includes biographical information, correspondence, and personal papers.

Correspondence consists of personal and artwork related correspondence. The majority of the correspondence is with individuals, synagogues, and organizations concerning commissioned artwork by Ludwig Wolpert. There are letters of admiration and appreciation of his works, inquiries regarding prices and the status of completion of pieces of artwork. Among the correspondence are letters to Wolpert from the American Jewish Committee concerning a Ten Commandments piece they presented to Billy Graham, a letter from John V. Lindsay, former mayor of New York City, and a letter from the Council of Jewish Federations concerning a mezuzah made by Wolpert and seen by Menachem Begin on a visit with them. In addition, one letter from this folder by Rabbi Stephen A. Arnold was framed and contains a poem to Wolpert regarding a Kiddush Cup that Wolpert was repairing for him. Personal correspondence includes letters to and from the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, letters concerning events in Wolpert's professional development, and a letter to Wolpert's wife, Betty, regarding his memorial.

Other papers include personal documents such as Wolpert's honorary diploma, an award, and Wolpert's Israeli passport. In addition, there is a prayer book presented to Wolpert by a Rabbi in the United States Armed Forces in gratitude for his work on the Jewish chapel.

Series II: General, 1953-1986.

Arrangement:

Folders are arranged alphabetically by title.

Scope and Content:

Series II is comprised of papers of a broad nature that pertain to Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert and his art.

This series consists mainly of documents that center on Wolpert's art as well as a few non-art-related items. They include invitations to attend Wolpert's exhibits, some material that was used in exhibits, as well as a list of biblical and prominent Jewish women, who were the focus of an exhibit by Wolpert and his daughter, Chava Wolpert Richard. Folders containing exhibit material can be found in three boxes due to the size and shape of the papers. (Oversized exhibit description panels are located in oversized box; a rolled banner used in exhibit is located in half-size box.)

Included are papers concerning Tsirl Waletzky, which discuss the use of paper-cuttings in Jewish religious art. In addition, there are also publications concerning work by Moshe Zabari, Wolpert's student and successor at the Tobe Pascher Workshop. One of the publications is inscribed and signed by Zabari, and was apparently sent to Betty, Wolpert's wife.

Series III: Published Materials, 1950-1992.

Arrangement:

Clippings are arranged chronologically; publications are arranged alphabetically by title.

Scope and Content:

Series III consists of catalogs, clippings, excerpts from books, and other publications. The bulk of the material is from the 1960s-1980s. A small amount of printed material is from Germany and Israel, but the vast majority is from the United States.

Catalogs comprise one folder and contain lists with photos and descriptions of various artworks by Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert featured in exhibitions at museums and galleries. Clippings and publications consist of originals and photocopies of newspaper and magazine clippings, which discuss or display Wolpert's art. Excerpts include a few pages of an article from A History of Jewish Art, and a few pages from a guide to the collection of the Juedische Museum in Berlin. Of particular interest are the publications intended for young Jewish readers, which introduce them to Wolpert's art through articles on ritual objects that feature photographs of Wolpert's art in Keeping Posted: Great Jewish Aspirations, Our Age, World Over: A Magazine for Youth, and an article written in Hebrew. Our Age and World Over also contain biographical articles about Wolpert. There is a single article written by Wolpert from the Catholic Art Quarterly, which discusses the inspiration for his work.

Series IV: Index Cards, 1946-1990.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by name.

Scope and Content:

Series IV is comprised of index cards and a few scraps of paper that list addresses of Wolpert's contacts, as well as a few business cards. The index cards are handwritten, and list individuals or Jewish institutions as well as art pieces which the individual or institution purchased or commissioned from Wolpert and dates.

Series V: Visual Materials, 1927-1980.

Arrangement:

The series is arranged by format. Folders within series are arranged alphabetically by title.

Scope and Content:

Series V is organized in five subseries: Subseries 1: Photographs, undated, 1927-1980; Subseries 2: Negatives, undated; Subseries 3: Sketches, undated; Subseries 4: Slides, 1963-1986;Subseries 5: Models, undated

This series consists of nearly 600 photographs (black-and-white and color), a photoalbum, over 100 large negatives, a number of loose rolls of negatives and contact sheets; 550 slides; and paper sketches and models of Wolpert's work. The series includes a box of oversized photographs and a box of oversized sketches and models.

About 90% of the photographs are of Wolpert's artwork. Included are also various portraits of Wolpert with family, with colleagues and at work. Portraits span from ca.1927 to 1980. A few persons identified are Wolpert's wife Betty, his daughter Chava Wolpert Richard, and Wolpert's colleague Moshe Zabari.

Photographs of the artwork are subdivided into photographs of non-ritual objects and ritual objects. Non-ritual objects include sculptures, lamps, and designs of railings and window grates. Photographs of ritual objects are organized by type of object and include various designs for temples' interiors and exteriors, as well as ceremonial dishes and other ritual objects for Passover, Shabbat, Hanukkah, and Rosh ha-Shanah. There are often several photographs of the same object; some of the duplicates differ in size or color. Most of the artwork is not dated, but the bulk of it seems to be from the 1960s-1970s. Unidentified artwork as well as photographs of many different objects exhibited are included in the folder ‘Exhibits, mixed objects'. In addition the series includes one photo album with photographs from the 1976 Jewish Museum exhibit.

The series also contains negatives for about 40% of the represented photographs. Most of the negatives are of artwork, but there are also a few personal shots, and 1 roll with shots from an exhibition, including group portraits and artwork. There are many duplicates among the negatives.

Slides fall into two major categories: personal and artwork. The personal collection consists of slides taken on various trips of Wolpert and his wife from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. Most of the slides document trips to Switzerland in different years, and there is also a small group of slides from Israel. In addition, there are a number of family portraits taken on the Long Island area of New York State in the 1980s. The artwork section documents installations of Wolpert work and interiors of temples designed by Wolpert. There are nearly 150 sketches in the collection. Most of the sketches are pen or pencil drawings on thin paper representing different stages of object design. They are organized by type of object, and the categories mirror those of the Photographs subseries. There are several paper cut-outs of Hebrew letters. Some of the sketches are not drawn but outlined with tape. Included are also a few full-scale models of objects, created with tape and pencil on paper, and one three-dimensional paper model. Many of the sketches are in poor condition: multiple folds, many tears on thin paper.

Yeshiva University Museum's collection includes ceremonial objects, drawings, busts, and maquettes for ceremonial objects and stained glass windows.

Subseries 1: Photographs, 1927-1980.

Subseries 2: Negatives, undated.

Subseries 3: Sketches, undated.

Subseries 4: Slides, 1963-1986.

Subseries 5: Models, undated.

ROLLED ITEMS, various dates.

OVERSIZED MATERIALS, various dates.

OVERSIZED MATERIALS: SKETCHES, various dates.

OVERSIZED MATERIALS: PHOTOGRAPHS, undated.