F03_P03: Assertion of Racial Purity; Denial of Jewish Ancestry
1936 October 14, Front side - Envelope including documents of racial purity and denial of Jewish ancestry.
Tan cover with printed and typed German in black and red ink. The top left displays a delivery stamp in red ink. Directly to the right is the number 22 centered in a black printed triangle. At the top right are two stamps. To the left, a red 12-pfennig stamp with a swastika and Deutsches Reich underneath. To the right is a blue 20-pfennig stamp of President Paul von Hindenburg facing to the left. Overtop is a cancellation stamp from Fallersleben in Lower Saxony dated October 14th, 1936. At the center is a typed recipient's address for Hans Stöppler of Cologne. To the left an orange triangle delivery stamp is displayed.
Name/Title
F03_P03: Assertion of Racial Purity; Denial of Jewish AncestryEntry/Object ID
2007.3.3Scope and Content
1936 October 14, envelope including documents of racial purity and denial of Jewish ancestry.Context
Nazi doctrine embodied in the Rassengesetze (Nuremberg racial law) of 1935 defined “Aryan” as a person whose paternal and maternal grandparents belonged to the “Aryan” race. Members of the elite Nazi SS corps had to document their “Aryan” ancestry to the period before Germany emancipated Jews in 1850. In pursuit of this policy, Germans searched church records and archives for evidence to prove their racially pure heritage. Genealogist Hans Stöppler at Cologne received this October 14, 1936, cover that contained documents and research materials from the Church Community of Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg is a city built by the Nazis adjacent to historic Fallersleben in Lower Saxony, a residential community for Volkswagen factory workers. The cancel commemorates Fallersleben as the home of August Heinrich Hoffman von Fallersleben, who wrote the lyrics of Germany’s national anthem Das Lied der Deutschen in 1841. His opening line “Deutschland , Deutschland über alles” [Germany, Germany above all”] became notorious as an expression of Nazi triumphalism, although its original context had a liberal connotation. 2.67 reichsmarks were collected on delivery for three documents, research fee, C.O.D. fee, and postage.Collection
Nazi Scourge I: Primary ExhibitionCategory
Cover
Philatelic Material