Summary Information
Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Papers
1847-1980
- Herzfeld, Richard
- Herzfeld, Ethel
UWM Manuscript Collection 232; Accession 2016-020
- 15.4 cubic ft. (26 boxes)
- 13 film reels
- 431 nitrate negatives
- plus additions of .2 cubic ft. (1 box ) and 1 oversize folder
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)
The bulk of this collection consists of family papers from
Richard and Ethel Herzfeld. Also included are materials pertaining to Milwaukee's Boston
Store. The Boston Store materials include advertising, correspondence, items pertaining to a
1934-1935 strike, financial reports, newspaper clippings, lantern slides, stereographs,
glass plate and nitrate negatives, and photographs. The family papers mainly consist of
photographs and films of Richard and Ethel and their daughter Carol Ann, their homes, and
travels. Correspondence, journals, family documents, and memorabilia are also included in
the collection.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0232 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Herzfeld Family
The Herzfeld family was prominent in Milwaukee during the first half of the twentieth
century. Carl Herzfeld (d. 1930) was a founder of the Herzfeld-Phillipson Corporation
which bought and managed the Boston Store from 1906 to 1948. In 1895, Carl Herzfeld
married Helena Phillipson, the sister of his business partner, Richard I. Phillipson. As
head of the Air Service Committee of the Association of Commerce in Milwaukee, Carl
Herzfeld aided in developing airports and air travel around Milwaukee, including
establishing the first air freight of goods into Wisconsin in 1911.
Carl Herzfeld's son, Richard Phillip Herzfeld (1898-1980) was a civic leader. Born and
raised in Milwaukee, he served in World War One before he graduated with a B.A. from the
University of Wisconsin in 1920. Richard Herzfeld was a member of the Greater Milwaukee
Committee for Community Development, a founder of the Better Business Bureau of Milwaukee,
vice president and director of Federated Department Stores, Inc., and a campaign manager
for the Community Fund (now the United Way), among other organizations. As a member of the
Greater Milwaukee Committee for Community Development, Richard Herzfeld helped to develop
plans for the Milwaukee Public Museum, the Milwaukee County Stadium, the Milwaukee County
Zoo, and the Expressway.
Richard Herzfeld began working at Boston Store in 1920 as a stock boy, then worked in the
Advertising Department, as buyer for the Notions Department, and as the Merchandise
Manager of Linens, Domestics and Yards Goods. In 1928, Herzfeld was elected to the Board
of Directors. He became vice president in 1931 and president in 1940. After selling Boston
Store to Federated Department Stores, Inc. in 1948, Herzfeld soon became vice president
and director of Federated Department Store, Inc. until his retirement in 1953.
Ethel Ann Davis Herzfeld (b. 1896), Richard Herzfeld's wife, was born in Chicago and
attended Milwaukee-Downer College. She received her B.A. degree from Wellesley College in
1920. Her mother, Emma J. Davis, resided on Marietta Avenue in Milwaukee.
Carol Ann Herzfeld (1924-1972), the daughter of Richard and Ethel, was born April 9,
1924. She graduated from Milwaukee-Downer Seminary in June 1942. Carol died November 29,
1972.
Julius Simon opened Julius Simon's Notions in Milwaukee in 1897. The store's name was
changed to Boston Store in 1899. "Boston" was used to epitomize high style in clothing. In
1903, Carl Herzfeld, Richard I. Phillipson, and Nathan (Nat) Stone founded the
Herzfeld-Phillipson Corporation and took over the management of several of Julius Simon's
departments. Simon sold the leases to the Herzfeld-Phillipson Corporation in 1906.
Boston Store had the first air shipment of goods into Wisconsin in 1911 and in 1927
became the first Wisconsin store to receive transcontinental shipment by air. The 1934
Clerks' Strike was the result of retail clerks demanding the right to unionize to
negotiate fair wages and hours.
In 1948, the Herzfeld-Phillipson Corporation sold Boston Store for a sum of $8,000,000 to
Federated Department Stores, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, managed by Fred Lazarus, Jr. P.A.
Bergner & Co. of Peoria, Illinois bought Boston Store from Federated Department
Stores, Inc. in 1985. Most recently, in 2005 Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. bought out Saks, Inc.'s
Northern department store group, which included Boston Store.
Richard I. Phillipson (1870-1949) was born in Germany and moved with his family to
Milwaukee at age 16. Phillipson and his father, Martin, established the Phillipson Company
in 1894 and ran a small dry goods store on the west side of Milwaukee. Phillipson was
secretary and merchandising manager of the Herzfeld-Phillipson Corporation from 1906
to1935 and was president when Federated Department Store, Inc. bought Boston Store in
1948.
Nat Stone (1866-1931) served as president of Herzfeld-Phillipson. Stone's son, Medford
Stone, became assistant secretary of the Herzfeld-Phillipson Corporation when Richard
Herzfeld became president in 1940.
Scope and Content Note
Scope and content notes are provided in the contents list.
Arrangement of the Materials
The collection is arranged into two series:
-
Boston Store Records,
1914-1966
-
Family Papers, 1847-1980
Within these series, materials are arranged alphabetically by folder title and then
chronologically.
Photographs filed under "Herzfelds with Friends and Family" feature Richard, Ethel, and/or
Carol Herzfeld with members of their family and personal friends. Photographs filed under
"Friends and Family" do not feature Richard, Ethel, or Carol Herzfeld, though other members
of the Herzfeld or Davis family may be pictured.
The collection consists of one additional accession.
Preferred Citation
Citation Guide for Primary Sources
Alternate Format
Selections from this collection are included in the UWM Libraries' digital collection
Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Photograph Collection.
Related Material in the UWM Libraries
Separated Material in the UWM Libraries
Additional visual materials from the Herzfeld family's travels are located in the American
Geographical Society Library's Photograph/Slide Collections.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the digital access
copies. Handling of the glass negatives and lantern slides requires the assistance of an
archivist. Otherwise, there are no other access restrictions on the materials, and the
collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel,
privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin
Statutes 19.21-19.39).
The Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation donated the bulk of this collection to the
Library Council of Southeastern Wisconsin's Archives Committee in December 1994. In August
2005 the Library Council of Southeastern Wisconsin transferred legal ownership of the
collection to the Archives. Carmen Haberman donated a small collection of additional
records (accession 2003-017) to the Archives in September 2003. The Herzfeld Foundation
donated some additional materials in October 2016 (accession 2016-020).
Jessica Sawinski, Diana Giordano, Suzanne Krause, Jason Klitgaard, and Christel Maass
processed this collection at the Archives from December 2005-February 2006.
In February 2011, Bob Jaeger removed 431 nitrate negatives from the collection and placed
them with other nitrate negatives. These constituted box 6 in its entirety. In November
2011, Rachel Curtis (supervised by Bob Jaeger) rehoused a tintype and moved it from box 7
to box 15.
Christel Maass minimally processed accession 2016-020 in October 2016.
Contents List
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UWM Manuscript Collection 232
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Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Papers, 1847-1980
15.4 cubic ft. (26 boxes); 13 film reels; 431 nitrate negatives
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Series: 1. Boston Store Records, 1914-1966
: This series contains information regarding the operation and history of Boston Store.
It includes correspondence, employee newsletters, negotiations, and contracts
concerning the Clerks' Strike of 1934-1935, wherein employees, primarily female sales
clerks, demanded fair wages and working hours; papers relating to the 1948 sale of
Boston Store to Federated Department Stores, Inc.; stock, shareholder, and financial
paperwork; newspaper clippings from 1914 to 1951; and memorabilia, which consists of
two 1920s Boston Store film envelopes. There are also graphic designs, slides,
stereographs, nitrate negatives, and photographs of the interior and exterior of
Boston Stores in Milwaukee, Manitowoc, and Oshkosh from 1900 to 1955.
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Box
1
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Advertising, Graphic Designs, undated
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Air Delivery, 1945
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Clerks' Strike, Correspondence and Employee Newsletters, 1934-1935,
undated
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Clerks' Strike, Negotiations and Contracts, 1934-1935, undated
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Correspondence, 1938-1955
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Federated Departments Stores, Inc., 1948
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Film
3
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Film, Silk Sale at Boston Store, undated
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Financial Papers, 1937-1950
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Herzfeld-Phillipson Corporation Papers, 1930-1959, undated
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Memorabilia, 1920-1966
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
5
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Negatives, 1921, undated
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
: Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the digital
access copies.
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Box
2
Folder
9
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Newspaper Clippings, 1914-1951, undated
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Photographs
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Exterior, 1900-1960
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Box
3
Folder
2-3
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Interior, 1934-1937
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Box
3
Folder
4-6
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Interior, 1939-1951, undated
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Publicity, 1945-1955, undated
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Slides, 1940-1948, undated
Slides (35 mm)
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Box
17
Folder
1
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Stereographs, Boston Store, 1948-1950
2 stereographs
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Box
2
Folder
11
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Stock and Shareholders, 1945-1955, undated
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Series: 2. Family Papers, 1847-1980This series contains a large collection of Herzfeld and Davis family photographs
spanning one hundred years from circa 1880 to 1980. Photograph subjects include:
family vacations, cruises, sailing and yachting, European travel, Richard's and
Ethel's college years, interiors and exteriors of family homes in Wisconsin and
Florida, portraits and candids. There are also photographs of Milwaukee cityscapes and
Wisconsin , including downtown buildings, the freeway, the War Memorial, Holy Hill,
and octagon barns. These subjects can also be found in the following formats: slides,
stereographs, lantern slides, nitrate negatives, and glass plate negatives. Aside from photographs, the collection also contains family documents such as
naturalization papers, marriage and birth certificates, and passports; personal
letters and postcards to and from Richard, Ethel, Carol, and other friends and family
from 1896 to 1952; travel journals and logs documenting sailing trips (1930-1935), and
cruises and other trips (1951-1958); two albums about Carol's dog, Lamp Chop;
newspaper clippings featuring death announcements, community involvement, and personal
interests, such as Richard Herzfeld's photography; and assorted memorabilia
(1925-1958), consisting of dance cards, graduation books, calling cards, cruise
souvenirs, and a Milwaukee Yacht Club newsletter.
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Box
12
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Albums, Lamb Chop (Family Dog), 1954-1970
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Certificates, Carol, 1942-1945
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Box
4
Folder
2
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Certificates, Richard, 1917-1979, undated
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Clippings, 1917-1980, undated
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Box
12
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Community Award Medallion, Richard, 1953
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Correspondence
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Carol to Ethel, 1944, 1950-1952
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Carol to Richard, 1933, 1944
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Ethel to Richard, 1938-1944
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Family, 1883-1950, undated
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Friends to Ethel, 1921, 1950
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Box
4
Folder
9
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Mother to Ethel, 1950-1952
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Box
4
Folder
10
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Postcards, 1896-1935
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Box
4
Folder
11
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Richard to Ethel, 1950
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Box
4
Folder
12
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Richard to Ethel, 1951-1952
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Box
4
Folder
13
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Documents of Family Vital Records, 1873-1905, undated
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Box
14
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Documents of Family Vital Records, Oversize, 1847-1890
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Box
4
Folder
14
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Eulogies, 1932, 1980
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Film
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Film
10
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Carl Herzfeld, European Vacation, 1928
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
11
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Carl Herzfeld, Florida and New York, 1927
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
4
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Carol as a Baby, 1924-1926
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
9
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Carol and Trip to Hamburg, circa 1926
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
3
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Carol's Birthday and Miscellaneous, 1927
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
2
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Christmas and Miscellaneous, 1949-1950
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
12
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Ethel and Carol, undated
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
1
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Family trip on the Harry L. Findlay ore boat, 1957
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
8
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Family Trip to Florida, 1927
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
6
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Miscellaneous Family Scenes, undated
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
13
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Miscellaneous Family Scenes at Home, undated
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
7
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Pool Party with Family and Friends, 1939-1942
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Film
5
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Whitefish Bay Scenes, Carl Herzfeld's Birthday Party, 1928
1 film reel (16 mm)
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Box
18
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Family, 1890-1920
13 4" x 5" and 5" x 7" glass negatives
25 3 1/4" x 4" or smaller lantern slides
: Request the assistance of an archivist to view the lantern slides and glass
negatives.
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Box
4
Folder
15
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House Donation to University School of Milwaukee, 1977
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Memorabilia, 1925-1958, 1980
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Negatives
: Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the digital
access copies.
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
5
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Boats and Automobiles undated
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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5 x 7 Nitrate Box
2
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Boats and Automobiles undated
5" x 7" nitrate negatives
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
5
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Buildings, undated
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
5
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Family, 1920-1930, undated
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
5-6
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Family, 1921-1922
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
6
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Family, 1922
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
6
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Family and Friends, 1920-1930, undated
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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5 x 7 Nitrate Box
2
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Family and Friends, 1920-1930, undated
5" x 7" nitrate negatives
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
6
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Family on California Coast, undated
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
6
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Family Vacation to California, Colorado, and Utah, 1923
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
6
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Homes, 1915-1925, undated
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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4 x 5 Nitrate Box
6
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Milwaukee, undated
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Passports, 1949-1960
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Personal Papers, Richard and Ethel, undated
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Box
13
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Scrapbook, Family, circa 1915
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Photographs
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Automobiles, undated
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Box
7
Folder
2
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Boats, undated
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Box
7
Folder
3
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Carl Herzfeld, 1880-1925, undated
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Box
7
Folder
4-5
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Carol, Candids, 1925-1970, undated
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Box
16
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Carol, Oversize, undated
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Box
7
Folder
6
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Carol, Portraits, 1925-1945, undated
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Box
7
Folder
7
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Community Organizations, 1950-1963, undated
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Box
7
Folder
8
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Davis Family, 1900-1940
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Box
15
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Davis Family, circa 1890s
1 tintype
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Box
15
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Davis Family, Oversize, undated
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Box
7
Folder
9
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Ethel and Carol, Candids, 1925-1975, undated
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Box
16
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Ethel and Carol, Oversize, undated
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Box
8
Folder
1-2
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Ethel, Candids, 1915-1977, undated
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Box
16
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Ethel, Oversize, undated
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Box
8
Folder
3
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Ethel, Portraits, 1915-1940, undated
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Box
8
Folder
4-6
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Friends and Family, 1890-1940, undated
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Box
9
Folder
1-2
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Friends and Family, 1940-1980
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Box
9
Folder
3
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General Travel, 1920-1960, undated
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Box
15
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Group, Oversize, undated
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Box
9
Folder
4
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Herzfeld Family, 1915-1925
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Box
15
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Herzfeld Family, Oversize, undated
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Box
9
Folder
5-8
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Herzfelds with Friends and Family, 1890-1980, undated
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Box
10
Folder
1
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Homes, 3477 N. Lake Drive, Milwaukee, 1930-1939, undated
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Box
10
Folder
2
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Homes, 3541 N. Lake Drive, Milwaukee, 1930-1980, undated
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Box
10
Folder
3
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Homes, Del Ray, Florida, 1970-1979, undated
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Box
10
Folder
4
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Homes, Pine Lake, Wisconsin, 1913-1976, undated
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Box
10
Folder
5
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Homes, 1900-1970, undated
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Box
15
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Homes, Oversize, undated
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Box
10
Folder
6
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Homes, Unidentified, 1915-1970, undated
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Box
10
Folder
7
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John and Richard Herzfeld, 1900-1920, undated
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Box
10
Folder
8
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John (Hans) Herzfeld, 1915-1920, undated
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Box
10
Folder
9
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Milwaukee and Wisconsin, 1900-1970
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Box
10
Folder
10
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Richard and Carol, Candids, 1925-1940, undated
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Box
10
Folder
11
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Richard and Ethel, Candids, 1920-1980, undated
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Box
16
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Richard and Ethel, Oversize, undated
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Box
10
Folder
12
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Richard and Ethel, Portraits, 1925-1950, undated
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Box
11
Folder
1
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Richard, Candids, 1915-1979, undated
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Box
11
Folder
2
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Richard, Ethel, and Carol, Candids, 1930-1960, undated
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Box
16
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Richard, Oversize, undated
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Box
11
Folder
3
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Richard, Portraits, 1915-1955, undated
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Box
11
Folder
4
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Sailing, 1930-1935, undated
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Box
11
Folder
5
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Travel to Europe, 1949
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Box
12
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Sailing Logs, 1930-1935
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Box
11
Folder
6
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Slides, Family, 1950-1960, undated
Slides (35 mm)
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Box
11
Folder
7
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Slides, Milwaukee, 1950-1960, undated
Slides (35 mm)
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Box
17
Folder
2-9
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Stereographs, Family, 1948-1953, undated
42 stereographs
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Box
17
Folder
10-12
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Stereographs, Milwaukee, 1947-1953, undated
14 stereographs
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Box
12
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Travel Journals, 1951-1958
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Box
5
Folder
4
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Travel Log, 1955
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Box
5
Folder
5
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Volante (Yacht), 1931-1977
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Box
19
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Scrapbooks, Family, 1915-1919
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Box
20
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Scrapbooks, Family, 1921, 1923
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Box
21
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Scrapbook, Family, 1924
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Box
22
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Scrapbooks, Family, circa 1920, circa 1950
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Accession 2016-020
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Miscellaneous Additions, 1912-1949
Miscellaneous additions including a merit award certificate for a photograph
(1942), a residential inventory (1927), a Milwaukee Journal Photo Section featuring
Herzfeld's Europe trip photos (1949), and school certificates and diplomas (1912, 1916,
1920). Also included is a pennant (red and white material with a letter H on
it).
.2 cubic ft. (1 box) and 1 oversize folder
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