Title: Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1847-1980

Creators:

• Herzfeld, Richard
• Herzfeld, Ethel

Call Numbers: UWM Manuscript Collection 232; Accession 2016-020

Quantity:

• 15.4 cubic ft. (26 boxes)
• 13 film reels
• 431 nitrate negatives
• plus additions of .2 cubic ft. (1 box ) and 1 oversize folder

Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

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.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0232

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.

Boston Store

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 notes are provided in the contents list.

The collection is arranged into two series:

1. Boston Store Records, 1914-1966
2. 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.

• Accession 2016-020: Miscellaneous Additions, 1912-1949

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

Selections from this collection are included in the UWM Libraries' digital collection Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Photograph Collection.

• Founding Industries of Wisconsin (Survey project) Records. UWM Manuscript Collection 41.

Additional visual materials from the Herzfeld family's travels are located in the American Geographical Society Library's Photograph/Slide Collections.

Access Restrictions

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.

Use Restrictions

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).

Acquisition Information

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).

Processing Information

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.

UWM Manuscript Collection 232	Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Papers, 1847-1980 Physical Description: 15.4 cubic ft. (26 boxes); 13 film reels; 431 nitrate negatives
	Series: 1. Boston Store Records, 1914-1966 Scope and Content Note: 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.
Box   1	Advertising, Graphic Designs, undated
Box   2 Folder   1	Air Delivery, 1945
Box   2 Folder   2	Clerks' Strike, Correspondence and Employee Newsletters, 1934-1935, undated
Box   2 Folder   3	Clerks' Strike, Negotiations and Contracts, 1934-1935, undated
Box   2 Folder   4	Correspondence, 1938-1955
Box   2 Folder   5	Federated Departments Stores, Inc., 1948
Film   3	Film, Silk Sale at Boston Store, undated Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Box   2 Folder   6	Financial Papers, 1937-1950
Box   2 Folder   7	Herzfeld-Phillipson Corporation Papers, 1930-1959, undated
Box   2 Folder   8	Memorabilia, 1920-1966
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   5	Negatives, 1921, undated Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives  Access Restrictions: Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the digital access copies.
Box   2 Folder   9	Newspaper Clippings, 1914-1951, undated
	Photographs
Box   3 Folder   1	Exterior, 1900-1960
Box   3 Folder   2-3	Interior, 1934-1937
Box   3 Folder   4-6	Interior, 1939-1951, undated
Box   3 Folder   7	Publicity, 1945-1955, undated
Box   3 Folder   8	Slides, 1940-1948, undated Physical Description: Slides (35 mm)
Box   17 Folder   1	Stereographs, Boston Store, 1948-1950 Physical Description: 2 stereographs
Box   2 Folder   11	Stock and Shareholders, 1945-1955, undated
	Series: 2. Family Papers, 1847-1980 Scope and Content Note This 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.	⇧
Box   12	Albums, Lamb Chop (Family Dog), 1954-1970
Box   4 Folder   1	Certificates, Carol, 1942-1945
Box   4 Folder   2	Certificates, Richard, 1917-1979, undated
Box   4 Folder   3	Clippings, 1917-1980, undated
Box   12	Community Award Medallion, Richard, 1953
	Correspondence
Box   4 Folder   4	Carol to Ethel, 1944, 1950-1952
Box   4 Folder   5	Carol to Richard, 1933, 1944
Box   4 Folder   6	Ethel to Richard, 1938-1944
Box   4 Folder   7	Family, 1883-1950, undated
Box   4 Folder   8	Friends to Ethel, 1921, 1950
Box   4 Folder   9	Mother to Ethel, 1950-1952
Box   4 Folder   10	Postcards, 1896-1935
Box   4 Folder   11	Richard to Ethel, 1950
Box   4 Folder   12	Richard to Ethel, 1951-1952
Box   4 Folder   13	Documents of Family Vital Records, 1873-1905, undated
Box   14	Documents of Family Vital Records, Oversize, 1847-1890
Box   4 Folder   14	Eulogies, 1932, 1980
	Film
Film   10	Carl Herzfeld, European Vacation, 1928 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   11	Carl Herzfeld, Florida and New York, 1927 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   4	Carol as a Baby, 1924-1926 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   9	Carol and Trip to Hamburg, circa 1926 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   3	Carol's Birthday and Miscellaneous, 1927 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   2	Christmas and Miscellaneous, 1949-1950 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   12	Ethel and Carol, undated Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   1	Family trip on the Harry L. Findlay ore boat, 1957 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   8	Family Trip to Florida, 1927 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   6	Miscellaneous Family Scenes, undated Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   13	Miscellaneous Family Scenes at Home, undated Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   7	Pool Party with Family and Friends, 1939-1942 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Film   5	Whitefish Bay Scenes, Carl Herzfeld's Birthday Party, 1928 Physical Description: 1 film reel (16 mm)
Box   18	Family, 1890-1920 Physical Description: 13 4" x 5" and 5" x 7" glass negatives  Physical Description: 25 3 1/4" x 4" or smaller lantern slides  Access Restrictions: Request the assistance of an archivist to view the lantern slides and glass negatives.
Box   4 Folder   15	House Donation to University School of Milwaukee, 1977
Box   5 Folder   1	Memorabilia, 1925-1958, 1980
	Negatives Access Restrictions: Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the digital access copies.
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   5	Boats and Automobiles undated Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
5 x 7 Nitrate Box   2	Boats and Automobiles undated Physical Description: 5" x 7" nitrate negatives
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   5	Buildings, undated Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   5	Family, 1920-1930, undated Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   5-6	Family, 1921-1922 Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   6	Family, 1922 Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   6	Family and Friends, 1920-1930, undated Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
5 x 7 Nitrate Box   2	Family and Friends, 1920-1930, undated Physical Description: 5" x 7" nitrate negatives
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   6	Family on California Coast, undated Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   6	Family Vacation to California, Colorado, and Utah, 1923 Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   6	Homes, 1915-1925, undated Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   6	Milwaukee, undated Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives
Box   5 Folder   2	Passports, 1949-1960
Box   5 Folder   3	Personal Papers, Richard and Ethel, undated
Box   13	Scrapbook, Family, circa 1915
	Photographs
Box   7 Folder   1	Automobiles, undated
Box   7 Folder   2	Boats, undated
Box   7 Folder   3	Carl Herzfeld, 1880-1925, undated
Box   7 Folder   4-5	Carol, Candids, 1925-1970, undated
Box   16	Carol, Oversize, undated
Box   7 Folder   6	Carol, Portraits, 1925-1945, undated
Box   7 Folder   7	Community Organizations, 1950-1963, undated
Box   7 Folder   8	Davis Family, 1900-1940
Box   15	Davis Family, circa 1890s Physical Description: 1 tintype
Box   15	Davis Family, Oversize, undated
Box   7 Folder   9	Ethel and Carol, Candids, 1925-1975, undated
Box   16	Ethel and Carol, Oversize, undated
Box   8 Folder   1-2	Ethel, Candids, 1915-1977, undated
Box   16	Ethel, Oversize, undated
Box   8 Folder   3	Ethel, Portraits, 1915-1940, undated
Box   8 Folder   4-6	Friends and Family, 1890-1940, undated
Box   9 Folder   1-2	Friends and Family, 1940-1980
Box   9 Folder   3	General Travel, 1920-1960, undated
Box   15	Group, Oversize, undated
Box   9 Folder   4	Herzfeld Family, 1915-1925
Box   15	Herzfeld Family, Oversize, undated
Box   9 Folder   5-8	Herzfelds with Friends and Family, 1890-1980, undated
Box   10 Folder   1	Homes, 3477 N. Lake Drive, Milwaukee, 1930-1939, undated
Box   10 Folder   2	Homes, 3541 N. Lake Drive, Milwaukee, 1930-1980, undated
Box   10 Folder   3	Homes, Del Ray, Florida, 1970-1979, undated
Box   10 Folder   4	Homes, Pine Lake, Wisconsin, 1913-1976, undated
Box   10 Folder   5	Homes, 1900-1970, undated
Box   15	Homes, Oversize, undated
Box   10 Folder   6	Homes, Unidentified, 1915-1970, undated
Box   10 Folder   7	John and Richard Herzfeld, 1900-1920, undated
Box   10 Folder   8	John (Hans) Herzfeld, 1915-1920, undated
Box   10 Folder   9	Milwaukee and Wisconsin, 1900-1970
Box   10 Folder   10	Richard and Carol, Candids, 1925-1940, undated
Box   10 Folder   11	Richard and Ethel, Candids, 1920-1980, undated
Box   16	Richard and Ethel, Oversize, undated
Box   10 Folder   12	Richard and Ethel, Portraits, 1925-1950, undated
Box   11 Folder   1	Richard, Candids, 1915-1979, undated
Box   11 Folder   2	Richard, Ethel, and Carol, Candids, 1930-1960, undated
Box   16	Richard, Oversize, undated
Box   11 Folder   3	Richard, Portraits, 1915-1955, undated
Box   11 Folder   4	Sailing, 1930-1935, undated
Box   11 Folder   5	Travel to Europe, 1949
Box   12	Sailing Logs, 1930-1935
Box   11 Folder   6	Slides, Family, 1950-1960, undated Physical Description: Slides (35 mm)
Box   11 Folder   7	Slides, Milwaukee, 1950-1960, undated Physical Description: Slides (35 mm)
Box   17 Folder   2-9	Stereographs, Family, 1948-1953, undated Physical Description: 42 stereographs
Box   17 Folder   10-12	Stereographs, Milwaukee, 1947-1953, undated Physical Description: 14 stereographs
Box   12	Travel Journals, 1951-1958
Box   5 Folder   4	Travel Log, 1955
Box   5 Folder   5	Volante (Yacht), 1931-1977
Box   19	Scrapbooks, Family, 1915-1919
Box   20	Scrapbooks, Family, 1921, 1923
Box   21	Scrapbook, Family, 1924
Box   22	Scrapbooks, Family, circa 1920, circa 1950
Accession 2016-020	Miscellaneous Additions, 1912-1949 Abstract: 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). Physical Description: .2 cubic ft. (1 box) and 1 oversize folder