|
|
|
|
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Title: Lloyd A. Strickland Collection of 1936 Olympics Souvenir Cards Collection Date(s): 1936 Extent and Forms of Material: 1/3 cubic feet (1 box) Creator: Lloyd A. Strickland Abstract: Lloyd A. Strickland purchased these souvenir cards while attending the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, Germany. Repository: Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. archivescenter@si.edu 202-633-3270 www.americanhistory.si.edu/archives Collection Number: AC0743 Processing Note: Processed by Cathy Keen, archivist, and Franklin A. Robinson, Jr., archives technician, March 2002; supervised by Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist. Finding aid revised, June 2008. INFORMATION FOR USERS OF THE COLLECTION Conditions Governing Access: The collection is open for research use. Physical Access: Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use: Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use. Preferred Citation: [Title and date of item,] Lloyd A. Strickland Collection of 1936 Olympics Souvenir Cards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, box number X, folder number XX, digital file number XXXXXXXX IN-DEPTH INFORMATION ABOUT THE COLLECTION Administrative/Biographical History: In 1931 the city of Berlin was awarded the summer Olympic games for 1936. The 1936 games (the 11 th Olympiad) featured athletes from 49 countries and some 4,000 athletes participated in 148 events. The games were memorable for many reasons, including the beginning of the tradition of the torch relay, advances in media coverage, and the introduction of canoeing and basketball as Olympic sports. But in particular, they are remembered for the politically charged atmosphere in which they took place, with World War II in Europe just three years away. With Adolf Hitler’s election in 1933 and the Nazi Party’s rise to power, the games were seen by those in power in Germany as a means to advance the Party’s ideologies. As events unfolded and information spread about the persecution of Jews and others by the Nazis, there were more and more demands upon the International Olympic Committee to remove the games from Germany. These efforts did not succeed, and the German government went on to spend huge amounts of money to make the games successful. The Reich Sports Field, a new sports complex built for the summer games, was draped in Nazi regalia for the games. The success of a number of black athletes, notably American track and field star Jesse Owens, was a blow to the notions of “Aryan supremacy” touted by Hitler and the Nazis. The games proceeded to their conclusion without incident. The souvenir cards in this collection provide a cross-section of images of the games of the 11 th Olympiad. Mr. Strickland had the souvenir cards in his possession for over 60 years. Scope and Content: This collection consists of 149 photomechanical reproductions of scenes and events from the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The scenes are not only of the competition, but include opening and closing ceremonies, officials, crowd scenes, candid shots of the athletes while not competing, medal ceremonies, scoreboards, artworks, and close-ups of Olympic medals. Adolf Hitler appears in three of the souvenir cards. Athletes are pictured on the cards with printed captions. Some of the athletes pictured include Jesse Owens, and Kitei Son [i.e., Son Gi-jeong of Korea]. * All but seven of the souvenir cards are 3 x 4-1/ 2”, while the remainder are 4-1/ 2 x 6-1/ 2". The souvenir cards are part of a set, as they are numbered on the reverse up to the number 200 (not all numbers are present). The printed inscriptions on the reverse sides indicate that this is a follow-up set to another set from the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch. Each card also has a printed caption on the reverse, in German. Also included are two postcards of hotels: Hotel Bender and Niederbreisig, which have no clear connection to the Berlin Olympics. * Note: When Korea was occupied by Japan (1910-1945), Son Gi-jeong competed for the Japanese in the 1936 summer Olympics, but was forced to use the Japanese name “Kitei Son,” and this incorrect name was the one printed on the card. System of Arrangement: This collection is organized into one series. Series 1, Olympics Souvenir Cards, 1936 Languages: Captions on the souvenir cards are printed in German. Acquisition Information: This collection was donated to the Archives Center, NMAH, Smithsonian by Lloyd A. Strickland in 2000. Access Points: Subject/Names:
Form/Genre: Occupations:
|
| E-mail: archivescenter@si.edu
Revised: October 1, 2009 |