Correspondence, 1948-1963

Series I contains the letters and postcards Irene Adler sent to Maria Hagenmeyer and her family – the other half of the correspondence, i.e. letters or postcards sent to Irene, has not been preserved. The earliest letter in this collection was written in 1948.

In her letters, Irene Adler tells her old schoolmate Maria, who lives in Germany, about her life, her job and her family. Furthermore, she writes about her troubles with the acquisition of restitution money from the German government. In addition to these matters, Irene inquires about people from her and Maria's mutual past. Irene seemed very eager to learn about the things that happened to them. Furthermore, Irene sent things to Germany. The very first of these were a few pieces of men's clothing she sent to Maria in 1950, since she supposed these would be helpful for Maria's husband – rationing was still in effect in Germany by then. Later, Irene sent Christmas presents for Maria's children.

Series I provides insights into the everyday life of a German-Jewish émigré in New York, her strong ties to her home, the resurgence of a friendship and coping with the past.