Materials less than 15 years old Restricted. Records may contain personally identifiable information (PII) that is permanently restricted. Contact reference staff for details
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Emiliano Martinez Collection, 1984, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Emiliano Martinez Collection, 1984, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Papers and photographs related to the immigration experience of Cuban refugee Martinez: a story from the Washington Post, March 12, 1984; a 45-minute cassette recording of an interview (in Spanish) by Richard E. Ahlborn with Martinez; a transcription in Spanish of the interview; six photographs of the hut taken by a zoo photographer; a covering memorandum from Ahlborn; a copy of Martinez's earnings from the sale of cans; and a diagram of his hut. Ahlborn, a curator in the Division of Community Life, was assisted by Juana Martin, a social worker.
Biographical / Historical:
The story of Emiliano Martinez, a Cuban refugee, was publicized as an example of the ingenuity and survival skills of recent immigrants to this nation. Martinez fled Cuba in one of the freedom flotillas of 1980. After a year in a refugee camp at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, he arrived in Washington, D.C. in April 1981. He shared apartments with other Cuban refugees until October 1982. Using his carpentry skills, he constructed a hut on undeveloped land at the National Zoo, where he lived from December 1982 until March 1984. He then moved into a boarding house in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood. He made his livelihood by selling aluminum cans to a Safeway grocery store for an average of sixty-five dollars a month.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Emilio Martinez.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photoprints:,fibre-base paper,,8" x 10".,Silver gelatin on
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Motion picture films
Theses
Photographs
Articles
Motion pictures (visual works)
Place:
Pennsylvania
Singing Tower (Mountain Lake, Fla.)
Date:
circa 1971-1975
circa 1928 -1930
Summary:
Samuel Yellin was an American master blacksmith. In 1910, he built the Arch Street Metalworker's studio.
Scope and Contents:
The collection is divided into three series: (1) Motion pictures; (2) Documents; and (3) Photographs. There are two 16mm silent black-and-white films, one showing Yellin working; a master's thesis on Yellin and an article about him, both by Myra Tolmach Davis; and 86 photographs of Yellin's studio, factory, and home.
The films are: (1) "The Making of Wrought Iron", produced by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, shows an artist sketching a grille and Yellin shaping a grille for a chair. (2) "The Florida Film" shows examples of Yellin's first work as used in the Singing Tower, Mountain Lake, Florida. Both are distributed by Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
The documents are two items by Myra Tolmach Davis: "Sketches in Iron: Samuel Yellin," a copy of a typescript addressed to George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), for Master of Museology degree, June 6, 1971. 67 pp. The article, "Samuel Yellin's Sketches in Iron," published in Historic Preservation, vol. 23, no. 4 (Oct. Dec.), 1971, pp. 4 13, is virtually identical to the text of her thesis.
The photographs (Series 3) are 86 prints from 35mm negatives by Richard Hofmeister, Office of Printing and Photographic Services, Smithsonian Institution, April 1, 1975, with an itemized checklist, "The Samuel Yellin Metal Working Building & Collection, Philadelphia..." These photographs show Smithsonian curator Richard Ahlborn during his visit to the Yellin shop on April 1, 1975, and the exterior of the building, library, factory, study, and collection rooms. The original 35mm negatives by Richard Hofmeister, who accompanied Ahlborn on this research trip, are in the Office of Imaging, Printing and Photographic Services (OIPP) negative library, nos. 75 4495 to 75 4499.
The photographs were made by Richard Hofmeister on a visit with curator Richard Ahlborn to the Samuel Yellin Metalworkers factory, Philadelphia, 1 April 1975. The master's thesis and article by Davis relate to an exhibition of Yellin's work at the Dimock Gallery, George Washington University.
Arrangement:
Collection divided into three series.
Series 1, Motion Picture Films,
Series 2, Documents,
Series 3, Photoprints
Biographical / Historical:
Yellin, born in Poland, began learning ironwork at seven. He migrated to America in 1906 and taught at the Pennsylvania Museum and the school of Industrial Art. In 1910, he built the Arch Street Metalworker's studio, which eventually employed more than 200 craftsmen. Yellin was also an avid collector of fine examples of ironwork.
Provenance:
The collection was donated Harvey Z. Yellin in 1975.
Restrictions:
reference copies do not exist. Special arrangements must be made with the Archives Center to view the motion picture films.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees regarding intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Emiliano Martinez Collection, 1984, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Emiliano Martinez Collection, 1984, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
The collection is a compilation of gifts from numerous donors, of documents relating to Judaism in numerous countries and the United States. Documents include betrothal contracts, bills of divorcement, eulogies, memorial plaques, candle labels, Jewish calendars, sukkah decorations, certificates of ritual slaughter, prayers, poems, sermons, and other types of documents.
Arrangement:
Collection is unarranged.
Historical Note:
The Judaica Collection at the Smithsonian is the oldest of its type in the United States. The archival collection is comprised of various documents, prints, sukkah decorations, marriage contracts, and memorial candle labels from Europe and the Middle East. The bulk of the collection was transferred in the 1960's to the National Museum of History and Technology (later, the National Museum of American History). A portion of the collection (artifact-related) still resides in the National Museum of Natural History. For a detailed description of items found in the collection see Cohen Grossman, Grace and Richard Ahlborn. "Judaica at the Smithsonian: Cultural Politics as Cultural Model." Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology, Number 52, 1997.
The first Judaica collections were acquired by the Smithsonian specifically for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1890. The next large Judaica collection was acquired in 1902 with the purchase of a torah case and Sukkah ornaments from Ephraim Deinard, bibliophile, Hebrew author and independent book dealer. A native of Latvia, Deinard immigrated to the United States in 1888. By 1913, Deinard had amassed a large collection of Judaica from Europe and the Middle East. He eventually deposited, between 1920 and 1927, almost 600 objects to the Smithsonian. The collection remained on loan until 1955 when Deinard's heirs donated the collection.
It was 10 years later with the opening of the National Museum of History and Technology (National Museum of American History), that there was a renewed interest in collecting Judaica objects. A small number of Judaica objects have been acquired since then. The archival collection is housed at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Related Materials:
Cohen Grossman, Grace and Richard Ahlborn. "Judaica at the Smithsonian: Cultural Politics as Cultural Model." Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology, Number 52, 1997.
See: https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/2452
Separated Materials:
This collection has related artifacts in the Division of Home and Community Life.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by the following donors:
J.H. Kantrowitz.,Purchase,1889; Mrs. S. Sulzberger, Gift; Leopold Luchs, Gift; Dr. Cyrus Adler ,Gift; Mayer Sulzberger, Purchase; Rev. Henry Cohen, Gift.,1897; William Wesley and Son, Purchase; Father S. Krauss, Gift.,1902; S.S. Howland, Bequest.,1902; Ephraim Deinard, Purchase.,1902; Mrs. Simon Kann,Gift.,1920;
Henry S. Hartogensis,Gift,1920; Ms. L. Lieberman,Gift,1924; Ephraim Deinard,Gift; Cara Goldberg Marks, Michael Neil Marks.,Gift; Michael Harris, Gift, 1982; Richard E. Ahlborn,Gift, 1986; Sylvia E. Lipkowitz, Gift, 1987; and
Neeman, Zipora,Gift, 1988.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Division of Cultural History Judaica Collection, 1639-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Division of Cultural History Judaica Collection, 1639-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Division of Cultural History Judaica Collection, 1639-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Division of Cultural History Judaica Collection, 1639-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Division of Cultural History Judaica Collection, 1639-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Division of Cultural History Judaica Collection, 1639-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Division of Cultural History Judaica Collection, 1639-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Division of Cultural History Judaica Collection, 1639-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
