1_50: Cigarette Case, Gary Sternberg.
c.1910s-1930s, Front side - Cigarette case of a Chinese dragon from Gary Sternberg.
Silver cigarette case with an engraved depiction of a Chinese dragon. At the top left corner, the initials "H.S." are engraved.
Name/Title
1_50: Cigarette Case, Gary Sternberg.Entry/Object ID
2017.1.50Description
c.1910s-1930s, cigarette case of a Chinese dragon from Gary Sternberg.Use
Store cigarettes for future use.Context
Partial excerpt taken from exhibit page Gary Sternberg in Shanghai: Mixing Flour, Water, and German Opera: Gary (Gerd) Sternberg was born in Germany on August 25, 1931 to a Protestant mother and a Jewish father. Although he and his sister were raised and baptized as Protestants, Nazi ideology designated Gary as Jewish. Gary’s father was arrested and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp on June 14, 1938. When released January 28, 1939, the family managed to find refuge in Shanghai, China with about 18,000 other mostly-Jewish refugees. Gary’s family lived in Shanghai from May 1939 to July 1948. "H.S." on the cigarette case likely refers to Herman Sternberg's initials. Additionally, the engraved "84" next to the word "SILVER" refers to .875 fine silver, a reference to 84 Zolotniki, an obsolete weight unit used by Russians from the 11th century until the late 1920s.Collection
Gary SternbergCategory
Cigarette Case