Ok. After some days of doing research on my garments, I got some very interesting answers from the curator of the Buchenwald KL museum, and I will share it with you all. I must say that Holm, the expert and curator of Buchenwald KL-Mittelbau-Dora museum is a very nice person, who helped me out with this issue desinterestedly. That being said, I must tell you all that I asked in 4 KL and museums about my garments' originality. I asked in Auschwitz museum, in Yad Vashem, in USHMM in Washington and in KL Buchenwald museum. Ok, first three couldn't help me with this so desperatedly I turned to KL Buchenwald museum and I exchanged some emails with Holm. I must say that the curator of the USHMM was also very nice but couldn't help me. He told me that I must turn to an expert in textiles. So yesterday I received an answer from Buchenwald. To my surprise, after sending photos of a pair of trousers (detailed photos) and from 3 of my jackets, I got a thumbs up on all of them. And what's more, I got the information of the former inmates who wore those garments! Look at the answer:
This time the clothes look very real. I spoke with a colleague about it, which also has no doubts as to the authenticity. From him originate the information on the detainees who have worn the clothes:
The prisoner jacket is a woman's jacket, to recognize the rounded collar points. The number 41731 was assigned in Ravensbrück concentration camp to the "political" Polin Ziemniak Helena, born in 1906. Ziemniak woman was in 1944 in Buchenwald satellite camp HASAG Leipzig. Number and angle probably have been (probably by the owner herself) applied subsequently.
The second jacket with the prisoner number 1504 belonged to the Buchenwald inmate Paul Herman Rohde, born 1896 in Elmshorn. The red bar on the angle stands for "politically backslide".
The pants are apparently real, but is missing the number on the right pant leg. There are at least discernible punctures etc. would be found.
So at least some experts gave me a thumbs up. That's great.
You must be pretty relieved to have had this confirmation from Buchenwald museum
Was Ms. Holm not concerned with the very odd stencil font on the "1504" patch?
Bookmarks