Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1642

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

.33 linear feet (1 box)

Language Note:

Information on back of photographs is largely in Hebrew; however some have German and/or English translations.

Preferred Citation:

Zoltán Kluger photographs, circa 1930s to 1950s, Ms. Coll. 1642, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

circa 1930s to 1950s (inclusive)

Creator:

Kluger, Zoltan, 1896-1977

Form:

Photographs and Aerial photographs

Abstract:

Zoltán Kluger (1896 – 1977) was an Israeli photographer. These photographs show various places in Mandatory Palestine/ State of Israel, and include landscapes, agricultural life, and people. The photographs were taken from the 1930s and the 1950s.

Zoltán Kluger (1896 – 1977) was an Israeli photographer. He was born in the city of Kecskemét in Hungary. In World War I, Kluger served in the Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops as an airborne photographer. In the 1920s he emigrated to Berlin, where he worked as a press photographer. In 1933, he fled to Mandatory Palestine. There, he was employed at the Orient Press Photo Cooperation in Tel-Aviv and continued to work as a photographer. In 1958, he and his wife Sarah followed their son to the United States. In 1977, Zoltán Kluger passed away.

The collection contains several dozen photographs taken by Zoltán Kluger in various places in Mandatory Palestine and the State of Israel. The whole collection dates between the 1930s and the 1950s. The photographs themselves are mostly undated.

The majority of the images show early Jewish settlements and cities from an aerial view. Besides, the collection includes some photographs of landscapes, agricultural life, and unknown people. A couple of photographs are captioned by hand in German, Hebrew and/or English. Mainly, there is just the name of the settlement or city recorded. The spelling of the names is partly based on German phonetics and therefore does not always correspondent to the usual English spelling.

The photographs are in a good shape and printed in various sizes. Most of them are stamped on verso with the photographer's stamp "The Orient Press Photo Co., Tel-Aviv". Some photographs have paper borders, a few others are glued onto a cardboard, and some appear to be drafts with marking for possible final prints.