Gustav Klemp World War I collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

The handwritten narrative is restricted due to preservation concerns. It was digitized and is available to view here. There are no other restrictions.

Terms of access:

Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Gustav Klemp World War I collection, C0250, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
0.75 Linear Feet 2 boxes
Creator:
Klemp, Gustav, 1882-1941
Abstract:
The Gustav Klemp World War I collection contains certificates, postcards, artwork, commemorative medals, and a handwritten narrative by Gustav Klemp, a Prussian artist and German army medic during the First World War, from circa 1892-1922.
Language:
German , Hungarian , Polish , Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan .
Preferred citation:

Gustav Klemp World War I collection, C0250, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The Gustav Klemp World War I collection consists of postcards (both photographic and printed), photographs, artworks, commemorative medals, and a handwritten narrative that document the military service experience of Gustav Klemp, a Prussian medic with the German army who served on the Eastern Front during World War I. The materials were created from circa 1892-1920s, with the bulk of materials created from 1914-1918. Many of the photographic postcards are group portraits of German soldiers, as well as images of military camp life, many of which feature Klemp. Several of the postcards have messages written in Kurrent and Latin script from Klemp to his wife, Martha Klemp, and other friends and family. Klemp sent postcards from across the Eastern Front, including Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine.

Also included in the collection are artworks created by Klemp during his time on the Eastern Front. These include watercolors, and ink and graphite drawings that portrayed camp life, landscapes of the war, and German troops. A couple of the pieces of art in this collection were likely painted by one of his fellow soldiers and acquired by Klemp during his service.

Transcription and translation of text is provided where applicable in the inventory scope notes.

Biographical / historical:

Gustav Klemp (May 16, 1882-April 1, 1941) was a house painter, photographer, and artist who resided in West Prussia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Klemp was a member of the Deutschen Maler-Bundes (German Painters' Association) and owned a house painting business, as well as a side photography business, in Podgórz, then West Prussia. Podgórz, which still exists, is a district of the city of Toruń in now Poland. Klemp was 32 at the outbreak of World War I in 1914, and he reluctantly served as a medic with the German Army. He sent dozens of postcards from the Eastern Front to his wife, Martha Klemp, and other friends and family. Many of these postcards were photographic, and were shot and developed by Klemp during his military service.

Klemp also created watercolors, and ink and graphite drawings that portrayed camp life, landscapes of the war, and German troops. Klemp survived the war, and after the creation of an independent Poland, he and his family were given the decision to become Polish citizens or emigrate. The Klemp family then immigrated to the United States and settled in the upper midwest, first in Iowa and then Wisconsin. Klemp made his living in the United States primarily by painting murals for churches. He died in May 1941 at the age of 59, six months before the United States entered World War II.

Acquisition information:
Donated by Klemp's grandson, Richard Passig, in September 2014, and February-March 2015.
Processing information:

Processing completed by Elizabeth Beckman in November 2014. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in November 2014. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in March 2022.

Collection reprocessed by Amanda Menjivar from January-February 2024. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in February 2024. Inventory assistance provided by Meghan Glasbrenner.

German transcription and translation provided by Dorothee Schubel, Metadata and Cataloging Librarian at George Mason University Libraries. Transkribus by READ-COOP was used for the Kurrent Script transcription.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged by item format: certificates, postcards and photographs, artworks, commemorative medallions, and the handwritten narrative.

Physical location:
R 50, C 2, S 7
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard