They bid on two letters and a photo from Elly Leonhardt, b. Bormann (* 11. June 1891 in Leipzig), wife of the art historian Karl Friedrich Leonhardt (1882-1940), which she is 19. He married in Berlin-Wilmersdorf in February 1916.
She was a niece of the folklorist Wilhelm Bomann (1848-1926), Founder of the Bomann Museum in Celle.
Aimed at the lawyer Karl Althaus (1886-1956) in Perleberg or his wife Maria, née. Niese, daughter of the Perleberg superintendent Ewald Niese.
1.) Nice photo (10.3 x 7.7 cm) by Elly Leonhardt with her son Karl Alexander Leonhardt (*6. March 1917 in Berlin, killed in action 21. December 1942 in Schiparewo, Russia, buried at the Tereschino / Belyj military cemetery - Russia).
Inscribed on the back: "Karl Alexander Leonhardt. 4 ½ months old." -- So the photo is from the summer of 1917.
2.) 4-page letter(19.8 x 13 cm), dated Berlin-Wilmersdorf, Landauer Straße 5, 23. August 1918. -- This address is also listed on her marriage certificate (available on the ancestry website). In the Berlin address book from 1919, the person at this address is listed as "Leonhardt, Elly, Frau, Dr. phil., art historian."
Her husband is probably not listed in the address book because he had been a soldier since 1914. In 1917 and 1918 he took part in the heavy fighting on the Western Front, was wounded at the Kemmel and was awarded the Iron Cross second class. Elly Leonhardt is very worried about her husband in the letter.
Excerpts: "My dear Karl! [...] In July Fritz was with me for fourteen days, how quickly the time went by and saying goodbye hurts so much. You wait and wait for months for those few miserable days, and then being alone is even more bitter. But the worst thing is the fear and worry you have to live in. I was without news for a long time, which is always terrible. Right now I know my favorite man is also in a bad position, and my heart fears for him. That's why you have to forgive me if this letter is a bit scattered and comes to you too late. -- Mom, Alexander and I have only been back from our summer trip since Wednesday. We spent four weeks at the Leuchtenburg near Kahla in Thuringia [...]. Today I received news from Fritz that he has a machine gun platoon and is in a heavily bombed bunker. God grant that he comes out safe."
Signed "With loyalty, your old Elly."
3.) 3-page letter(16.8 x 13 cm), illustrated Hanover, Osterstr. 54, the 30th May 1921. -- In the Hanover address book from 1921, her husband is listed at this address: "Leonhardt, Karl Frdr., Dr. phil., art historian."
Excerpts: "Dear Maria! [...] I still think so much about the lovely Easter days that I was allowed to be with you, such lovely days cast their bright light over a long period of time and make the heart warm and are one of the most delicious things in life; that they help overcome many tribulations and bitterness."
Then via the recommendation of a nurse and midwife.
Signed "Elly Leonhardt."
Attached is the original envelope (with stamp of the Anuga food exhibition); the stamp was removed.
Condition: Photo slightly stained, with a crease. paper browned; Cover stained and damaged. bplease note the pictures too!
Internal note: Althaus 2023-3 Folder 1
About her husband (source: wikipedia):
Karl Friedrich Leonhardt (*11. March 1882 in Linden; † 15. June 1940 in Hanover) was a German archivist, historian, author and director of the Hanover City Archives.
To this day, Leonhardt is considered the best expert on Hanover's topography and Hanover's genealogy. He founded the New Series (NF) of the Hanover History Papers (HG) and was chairman of the heraldic association “Zum Kleeblatt”, the sponsoring association of the Lower Saxony coat of arms roll.
Family: Karl Friedrich Leonhardt was the great-grandson of the publisher Friedrich Bernhard Culemann and grandson of the entrepreneur, politician and art collector Friedrich Culemann. He was the son of Karl-Moritz Leonhardt, a businessman working at the Linden mechanical weaving mill, who took over the Culemann printing company, which was founded in 1799, from his late father-in-law in 1886.
Career: Karl Friedrich Leonhardt graduated from Lyceum I (Ratsgymnasium) in Hanover in 1901 with his Abitur. After initially studying law, he switched to history, archeology and art history in Göttingen, Berlin, Leipzig and Heidelberg. In 1912 he received his doctorate.
From the fall of 1919, Leonhardt initially worked in his father's company and became its commercial manager in 1923.
Under the main editor Paul Siedentopf, Leonhard compiled the image material for The Book of the Old Companies of the City of Hanover in 1927, which was published by the jubilee publishing house Walter Gerlach in Leipzig.
Leonhardt was appointed as the successor to Otto Jürgens on January 1st. April 1929 Head of the Hanover City Archives, on April 15th To be appointed archive director in June of that year.
Among other things, Leonhardt created a map as a section of the Hanover city map, reduced to the area around the old town and the Calenberg Neustadt with the historical street routes from the year 1300 and - highlighted by red drawings - the street courses and important building outlines around the year 1900.