Description:

(1887 - 1985) French artist whose naive style incorporating subjects of Russian and Jewish life made him one of the foremost artists of this century. Superb content A.L.S. "Chagall" in German, 2pp. 4to., New York, Aug. 25, 1941, to Mr. and Mrs. Troper, in part: "...I am writing you again - we have such terrible news from the boat Navemar. The children themselves wrote - they have a very, very hard time. We have now been advised that there may be a possibility to come to New York on another boat. Do you know anything about it? Is it possible to make life somewhat easier for the children?... Don't you have a word of the Navemar's arrival date in New York? Can you get passes for the boat through the Joint? Forgive us, please, but our hearts ache when we think of our children and all the others..." He signs at the conclusion in blue ink. Shows mailing folds, else very good. Gen. Morris Troper, an eminent figure in the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), was instrumental in Chagall's escape and in his daughter's smuggling the artist's works from France to the U.S. The Chagalls fled Nazi-occupied France in May of 1941, having been supplied with forged passports by U.S. consul to France Hiram Bingham. The merchant ship SS NAVEMAR was chartered by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (the "Joint" referred to in Chagall's letter) to transport Jewish refugees fleeing Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. Passengers were crammed into the ship's cabins, and bunks were fitted in her filthy coal holds. She reached New York in September of 1941, but not before six passengers had died of typhus.

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April 1, 2020 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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