Gustav Weinberg Collection

Gustav Weinberg was born in Gersfeld, Germany on April 26, 1856, the son of Juda Weinberg, who owned a tannery. Until he was thirteen years old he attended the local Volksschule, then attended the Realschule of Hanau for one year. Although he wanted to study philology, he followed his father's expectations and worked on a volunteer basis for a bank in Frankfurt am Main, then worked in a silk factory as bookkeeper. After realizing his interests did not lie in business he took the Abitur exam (required for matriculating at a German university) in 1879, in spite of not having attended a Gymnasium, and then began his studies at the universities of Berlin, Heidelberg and Strassburg. He also spent time studying in England. On June 26, 1884 he received his doctorate from the University of Heidelberg with his dissertation Das französische Schäferspiel in der ersten Hälfte des siebzehnten Jahrhunderts (The French Pastoral Play in the First Half of the Seventeenth Century), which was later published.

Following a year of working as a tutor for an American household, Gustav Weinberg spent four years teaching at the Realschule der israelitische Gemeinde (Philanthropin) of Frankfurt am Main. He was unable to secure a position at universities due to being Jewish, and after his marriage gave lessons out of his home as well as at trade schools and taught religion at Gymnasiums. Among the schools at which he taught was Frankfurt's Musterschule. Due to his knowledge of languages, he wrote reviews of foreign works, especially those in French and Spanish, for various newspapers. He was also an official interpreter of French and English for German courts.

In addition to teaching, Gustav Weinberg also wrote, both academic works as well as creative ones. In 1905 his Einführung in die englische Handelskorrespondenz zum Gebrauch an Handelshochschulen und Handelsschulen, sowie zum Selbstunterricht (Introduction to English Business Correspondence for Use at Trade Colleges and Schools, as well as for Self-Instruction) appeared, and in 1906 his play Saul: ein Trauerspiel in fünf Akten (Saul: a Tragedy in Five Acts) was published. Other creative works included Lieder eines Narren (A fool’s songs) and Der Halling: Oper in drei Akten (The Halling: Opera in Three Acts). His poetry remained unpublished.

Gustav Weinberg died in 1909 of illness.