“November 3^rd, 1949. There are still concentration camps as worse as the Nazis had. If you speak frankly what you think you disappear over night. No one will ever hear of you again whether you go to a camp or to Siberia and don’t survive it.”

(No reproduction of this material can be used without permission)

Immediately following Germany’s surrender, German Artist Uscha Ebinghaus would write to her dear friend in America and share her own unique post war story. She not only used her heartfelt words to tell that story, but included beautiful hand painted watercolor illustrations on nearly every page.

At the end of the 1940’s, when these letters begin, Uscha and her husband Gunter were living in Bad Wildungen Germany, “the US Zone.” Then as the letters progress, she is living just 180 miles from the Soviet Occupation Zone, East Germany.

The couple first met Colonel Thomas Barr and his wife Anne in the apartment building where the four of them were living. The Barr’s were an American military couple living in Bad Wildungen towards the end of Thomas’s service in the war. Gunter, Uscha’s husband, had been a P.O.W. in Marseilles at an American camp but was released soon after the war ended. Uscha and Anne became great friends and I can’t help but hope….life-long friends.

I’m not sure when the Barr’s came to Bad Wildungen but in the summer of 1947 they headed back home to America and this is when the letters begin.

Uscha and Gunter had a little boy by the name of Peter who was living with her parents in Essen Germany which was about a three hour drive from Bad Wildungen. The couple thought it best that Peter live with his grandparents as they were hard working artists trying to make a living in war-torn Germany and they didn’t have the means in which to support him early on.

Uscha was an incredible painter and almost every page of her letters are filled with her artwork. Often Uscha would paint for Anne and her friends in exchange for food, toys and clothing as supplies were very scarce in Germany after the war.

Uscha Kemper was born in 1919 at Rodewisch, a small town in Germany’s Ore Ridge, a beautiful mountain range on the Czech–German border. She went to school in Dresden and at one point married Gunter Ebinghaus and moved to the small village of Bad Wildungen.

And here’s some very interesting facts concerning this village; there was a fascinating documentary titled “The End of the War in Colour” and they actually mention and show live footage of Bad Wildungen at the end of the war. There are 4 episodes to this documentary and if you haven’t seen it it is absolutely spectacular. When US troops conquered Nazi Germany from the West in March 1945, they were accompanied by camera teams, shooting in 16 mm colour. The result is a unique 4 part mini series documenting war unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Bad Wildungen is mentioned at the beginning of Episode 2. The documentary stated that it was one of the rare German towns that survived WWII relatively unscathed.

“The End of The War In Colour”- Link Below:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfMrqOdrCidTYx1NI0S6-EzPBCAkHdmdY

And then there’s this…. “In Aachen, Germany, during mid November 1944, American soldiers found a document from the Suermondt Museum that indicated that the Germans were storing cultural treasures at various locations, including Bad Wildungen. So in April of 1945, members of the 1^st U.S. Army reached Bad Wildungen and there found two concrete bunkers, specially designed and built for the purpose of storing that property. Once entry was gained the soldiers determined that it contained paintings and sculptures from a number of the finest collections in Western Germany. Approximately 2,500 pieces!!

https://text-message.blogs.archives.gov/2015/10/07/the-monuments-men-in-july-the-treasures-stored-at-bad-wildungen/

I couldn’t find much about Uscha and Gunter on the genealogy sites but I did find out that she also worked for the Tellus publishing house located in Essen Germany in the 1940s and designed school murals with fairy tale motifs by the Brothers Grimm, which probably appeared after the Second World War.

She also painted signs for the BV Oil Company and had other side jobs including painting signs for all the stores in town and posters for Bad Wildungen’s 700 year anniversary celebration. In fact one of her posters was sent all over Germany.

In 1951 Uscha and Gunter moved to Dusseldorf and then Essen where her parents were. She took up intuitive modeling and created pictorial batik works. Later she made glass pictures. At one point in her life she moved to Majorca, an island in Spain and spent a good deal of time there. She has held exhibitions for her work in many places in Europe and the United States. Not sure when she or anyone in her family passed away, but I’m still researching her hoping to find out.

As for Anne and Thomas Barr; Thomas died in 1973 from a gun shot wound to the abdomen. Not sure how that all happened but he was just 52 years old. Anne went on to live 14 years after her husband died. The couple had two children.

So I want to set the stage a little bit as far as the time frame and what was going on during this crucial time in history. I want to share this because Uscha’s letters are full of information concerning the war and what happened during those years right after the war ended in 1945.

In February of 1945, towards the end of the Second World War, an agreement was discussed between Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin to divide Germany by the victorious Allies – Britain, the US, and the Soviet Union and France. This division was to create four zones of occupation. Through the Allied Control Council in Berlin it was originally intended that Germany would be governed as a single entity by central German administrations made by these four Allies, with each running their own zone independently for the 1^st two years of the occupation.

On May 8^th, 1945, World War II came to an end in Europe. Later that year President Harry S. Truman announced Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. On September 2, 1945, formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri.

In January 1946, Eleanor Roosevelt traveled to Great Britain as a delegate to the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly and upon arriving there she found a country in ruins. She called it a “Haunting Horror.”

I found a marvelous web site that talks about Eleanor and what Germany was like in 1946 which is worth the read. You can read it on the web site titled:

“Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project. Colombian College of Arts & Sciences”

https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/maps/Eu46.html

Germany was in ruins for many years after the war. Each of the Allies mentioned above, wanted to act jointly but in practice they ran their zone more or less independently for the first two years of the occupation. In 1947 the British and US zones combined economically to form the “Bizone” but remained separate political entities.

It’s around this time that Uscha begins writing. And I want to note here, I’m quoting Uscha’s letters exactly how she writes. Remember she’s German, and she’s just learning English, which only adds to the charm of these letters.

Each of the letters describes Germany right after the war and gives a detailed account (paintings included) of Uscha’s surroundings and daily events. Events such as war planes flying over, food rationing, the Russian Zone and the Iron Curtain, the currency reform, reset years, the black market, the Berlin Airlift, Concentration Camps, and so much more. One letter she mentions the Communists saying over the radio that they are angels and all they want is to give people heaven on earth. And that’s just a fraction of what you’ll read below. (And please note, not every page of the letters are shown here, just the ones with paintings.)

Hope you enjoy a taste of what life was like for a German Artist living in a small German town just a few years after WWII ended……in her own words.

“18 June, 1947

Dear Anne, May I call you Anne. Mrs. Barr – that sounds so formal (I am not sure is that the right word) and I was used to call you Anne talking with my husband about you. No Anne will come to my studio any longer to look at pictures. We still think it is a pity you left so soon. You didn’t see enough of Europe even not of Germany and the summertime was just coming with all colorful flowers and the deep green of the woods. New people moved in your apartment but most of your friends are leaving. And the same did I, taking off 14 days. I think staying with Piet will be fun. He is going to be a cute boy, my parents wrote and I am here to prove it. I must say they are right he is really wonderful. I always wonder how I am to have such a nice son. He is happy all through the day with dolls and old clothes playing in his little cage. Oh, this isn’t exactly the right word, anyway it looks like a cage. He looks healthy with his brown thin and light blue eyes. I’ll try to paint him so that I can have him with me at least his picture when I am back in Wildungen.

Now I am in the middle of the letter and thought it very difficult to begin with. I wonder where you are, back home or still on the boat. Anyway I hope you had a good journey home and with that wonderful warm weather we had during the last three weeks I am sure of that. And your trip has been fun with husband and friends on board. How do you feel being home again able to go down street in every shop without trouble about a strange language and buying all you want for money. Oh boy, when will that happen to me just stepping right into a shop when I need some things and to buy for money. Where will the Army send you. I do hope to a nice place. I think you’ll see a lot of the world. Don’t you think it is marvelous to have seen and studied some different parts of the world. It’s wonderful to gather things from every place you have been, that will be a nice collection. Does your mother like the china, the wood carvings and the pictures you brought with? I hope the pastels didn’t smear. Give you mother my regards please and my thanks for things she sent to you for Piet.

There is nothing important left to say. We still wait to start building the house. We are waiting for the stones for the cellar. We are to expect them every day but still we are waiting. After all we are going to have a lot of patience but we still hope to finish all before winter. Life is going as much as usual. The ration is cut down, sometimes two pound of bread, 50 gr. butter for the bread and to cook, 100 gr. meat and some cereal are to live on one week. In the Engl. (English) Zone they have the same ration card but there it means only a piece of paper, nothing in the shops to buy. My mother has to queue up for bread, for only one loaf, three to five hours. I am glad to live in Bad Wildungen. The day before we left the first bush rose bloomed. It is a very pretty picture now, the little house between all roses like the castle of the fairy tale, Dornroschen. If you are in the mood to write, just drop me few lines. I would be very glad to know how you are going along. Just tell me about your life there, your shopping, books you like or even about your housekeeping. I am interested in all. And now you are through the hard work reading my funny English written in German letters. I know they are some different. Anyway I do hope my sentences made some sense. Your Uscha.”

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“29 August 1947’

“Dear Anne, It’s been almost three weeks since I got your letter. Gee, was that wonderful to have a letter from you just to know the ocean isn’t to deep to part people and friendships and that we are going to believe in a world where people try to understand each other like we do even if they are raised so entirely different like we are. Sometimes it doesn’t seem so different to me as we both do believe in some things. We enjoy life and the beauties in things around us even when it is only a flower or a nice pattern of cloth. But to the beginning, when I got back from a trip to Essen there your letter was right under my door. My husband hungry as he was from the long journey wanted me to fix some meal so I had to wait with reading the letter and that was pretty hard. I was so curious to get the news and what important news it has been – you are going to have a baby, oh Anne isn’t that wonderful. I wanted to write right back the same evening but it was to late, everytime I started the letter always something came up I had to do first so three weeks passed by. I am really ashamed. What do you want, a boy or girl, anyway I am sure it will be nice baby and I want to draw it. You’ll send me some snapshot as soon as it is 6 months will you please. What a talk about pictures of an unborn baby, but honestly I do want to paint every year one picture of the baby just for my own pleasure. It will be always in the same size so that you can keep them in a special folder and the last one framed on a wall. I have done such a series of portraits of a girl until she was six by then we lost each other so it can’t be continued. I want these pictures to be my gift to your baby.

I am glad to hear you are still healthy and you don’t have to suffer much under the pregnancy. With this letter some pictures of Peter. Isn’t he grown up to a nice boy as you’ll see from the pictures. Do you notice the shirt, it’s one of those your mother send me. I made them smaller. Peter starts now to use his little brain. He can show where his mammy is (a self portrait on the wall) as I am almost not a home, and he makes padding cake. It looks so funny, he never claps his little hands right together. Last time I have been at Essen he was 10 month and had five teeth. To his first birthday Sept. 17, I made him a Teddy as he likes to have something in his arms when he gets sleeping. My talk about Peters teeth, and all will sound funny to you but wait until you have you baby, you’ll see how important it is when he turns his head the first time, when he gets his first teeth it’s important to every mother but doesn’t really matter, what difference does it make if baby will get his first teeth one month earlier or later.

Our house seems to turn out only to a building in our dreams. We can’t get the stones, so we save up for this winter. What a trouble about few stones if we have the complete house ready to build up. But things are as they are and we got to take it. We have moved so much around since the beginning of war and lived under worther (worser) conditions than we do now that we got used to it. So it doesn’t do to much to as when the building plan failed. Only the baby needs a roof. I am so glad my parents own a house and they have space enough for the baby. It’s every time harder for me to leave him there but there he has all he needs and the best care.

I had much work painting and housekeeping as I canned almost every vegetable I could get to have something in winter. It isn’t really canned. I don’t own the stuff to do so. It’s prepared with salt. You have to wash away before using the vegetables anyway. It’s still better than nothing. I have painted Mrs. Pasley, her two boy, Lt. Pasley, Mrs. Hurley, Maj. Hurley, Capt. Vivian, Mrs. Vivian and few other you don’t know. They are all gone now and the constabulary is moving in.

At Essen we had a big exhibition where all good artists of Germany showed some pictures. I had a self portrait and a landscape there. Today and exhibition is sometimes a funny thing. I dare say so. You see among a lot of real good art the craziest things and pictures looking like child paintings and sometimes you can’t even recognize what they mean at all. May be I can’t only understand them. I am sure I am not this modern and I do not want to be. I still do think paintings are made to enjoy not to make you upset if you look at them. I do think art is something beautiful and I don’t think a beautiful painting needs words to explain. You simply see it and all the talk does the painting itself. Well, it isn’t very explained. I don’t have the English word to do so but I think it’s just enough for you to get what I meant.

The man in Canne sold many of my pictures. Next week (we do hope so) we will get some of our furnitures from the west. The studio will look much nicer with our own things. The walls have some fresh paint and with the curtains we could save from the old studio, it will look more like home. And I do hope the winter won’t be as cold as the last one. So that apartment you got as nice as yours here at Wildungen? How many room you have? I am curious to know what kind of building it is situated in. In an old big building or a two apartment house. I would like to know the difference between American apartments and ours here as I know you have the most furniture build in and it’s all easier to keep clean as it is hard to get some help for housekeeping. I am told so. I just want to look a second where you live.

What car did you get a Buik (Buick) or a Chrysler. Here you see all kinds of cars now and some very beautiful. That’s all for today. Let me think my letter will take 4 weeks to get there by then it will be October so you won’t write until the baby is born. My best wishes for you Anne and the baby. Love Uscha.”

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“Monday 8^th Dec.

Dear Anne, Your letter came two weeks ago. It took over a month instead of 10 days to get here. I wanted to answer right away as I love hearing from you but always came something up I had to do first. I have my hands full to get all the paintings, the portraits and Christmas cards done until Christmas. It keeps me so busy that sometimes I forget to eat. And now it’s already the 8^th of Dec. and I don’t think you’ll get your Christmas letter in time. It will be the first Christmas for you with the baby. Now you have a real family. I hope the delivery wasn’t to bad and you are well again by now. How far is America sometimes – the baby will be 3 months maybe even older until I’ll know about it’s being there. All the time I have thought of you very often wondering if the baby had come or not. At Essen now for 10 days. I have to paint three portraits, two little girls and a lady. Also we have an exhibition to sell paintings for Christmas. I’ll have five landscapes in the show. Although it is a little to much work now in the short time which is left till Christmas and gets a bit on my nerves. I love to have to do so much, besides it will quiet down after Christmas – but sometimes I’d rather play with Peter. He is grown up so much. He tries to speak and funny things are coming out of this. Two days ago he got his first haircut. I was so much afraid of as he cried every time my mother took him to the doctor. But he showed his best manners. Yesterday I didn’t work and mother and I went to town to do some Christmas shopping for Peter. The toys you are able to buy here aren’t the one I would like to give him but you don’t find the wonderful qualities we had in toys before war anymore.

Anyway he’ll like all the stuff. The little wood truck, the railway and the dog and horses I made of clothes. This Christmas I’ll celebrate with my parents and Peter alone as Gunter will be on a trip to Konstanz. He had planed long ago to see an old friend, and he can only meet him then. So this Christmas won’t be as happy as I hoped it to be with Peter now enjoying the Christmas tree and the toys.

Often I am listening AFN talking about the hard winter ahead of us and I do know that the American are asked to save food to help Europe. And we know and appreciate it very much as the most things we actually get on rationed are American food as the fat is now. Only babys get butter and we have to live on 100-150 grams of fat one long month. We are already forgetting how butter tastes like. But we aren’t the only people suffering under scarcity of food. The whole world is in a mess and can’t get out of this dilemma about food, fuel and all the things you need. High prices and so forth – even in the states isn’t all as wonderful like heaven as people here sometimes think it would be.

Just what would become of Europe if America didn’t help by sending food. Not to speak about all the private help with sending boxes and care packages. I guess every 20^th of German has some help with box from someone over there. And this means much. You are right I would rather have a box with things of your own choosing. It would be more personal.

This winter I don’t have to worry about warm cloths thanks to the wool skirt and the dresses you gave me. It was much help as I couldn’t buy clothes for five years.

In February we’ll be out of fuel in Wildungen. It means that the wood we have to burn for the whole winter won’t last longer – but it won’t do much to us this year. My parents have enough coal to have the house warm and so we’ll move to Essen and stay there until spring comes.

I am glad to know now where you live, what kind of apartment, about your daily work and all. It makes it easier to think of you if I know about the surroundings. I always have to see pictures. Maybe it’s the painter in me.

There is much left unsaid. Now I have the start I could talk quite a while but I have to feed Peter and let him to bed. He sits now in a high-chair Mrs. Parley gave me when she left.

The best wishes for your little family and much love Uscha. When your baby is asleep and all the work is done and nothing else to do, write sometimes.”

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“July 1^st,

Dear Anne, This is already the third start but somehow I couldn’t get through and I throw them all away. I am almost ashamed I didn’t answer sooner and told you your box got in OK and we enjoyed it particularly Peter. He got excited about the shoes and tried always to put them on all by himself. So much happened since I got your letter. At first the letter has been waiting for me a month as I have been at my parents in Essen. Then we got the current reform and life is entirely different now, instead of chasing food, people are looking now for money. There is more food to buy now, not very much but stocked things you haven’t seen for a long time. Some food like eggs and vegetables isn’t rationed anymore. The shops are full of vegetable but nobody can buy it. The money isn’t circulating yet and people are having a hard time to pay the rent, food and electricity.

I have been worried about you as your letter took so long – I am glad to know you are allright. It must have been a wonderful trip to the sea to show your little darling to the family. Grandparents are even crazier about the children than the parents are. (She then has one of her painting/drawings of two women outside of a shop and has written the following under that picture) A new picture to us, a shop full of vegetables and no queue.

I have my boy now with me for a couple of weeks. He is having a good time over here in the big garden around the studio and here are nice kids next door to play with. He’ll miss that all after going back to the city. He keeps me busy all the day long and I can’t go on working with him around. He is messing up everything to pieces to find out how it works. Right now after getting the reform is go on working more than ever before. This reform is step to get Germany ready for the ERP. It will give me a hard time and many people too who aren’t that lucky to be employed and get monthly wages and a lot will be fired as nobody can keep as much personnel as before. The Americans did it already. They get only three Deutsche Mark for one dollar. But I see the necessity of this money cut down to get Germany recovered. And somehow I do hope to get through even if Germans aren’t able to buy pictures anymore no matter how cheap I sell them. My only chance is to continue painting American dependents but there aren’t many left I didn’t paint. We all got 40 new Marks to start with. That is nothing if the milk for the baby costs 12 Marks a month and I do not know when I will earn more money. After a while things will get normal again and some people will own more money and be able to save some and so in turn start buying pictures again.

Since the currency reform was announced all people got crazy buying things for old money the last two days which were left. The shops have been so overcrowded I had to wait hours only to get bred (bread) and I had to take the boy with me where ever I went so I couldn’t do half of all things I liked to have done. My husband was on a trip to Konstanz so it was all left to me.

You will excuse my missed up letter but even after two weeks I can’t think straight and I just write down what comes in my mind. A week ago I mailed two pictures off for you, an oil painting and a watercolor of Bad Wildungen. I hope it will get there OK and you will like it as it will remind you of your stay here. You have to give the oil painting to a frame maker who has to make a frame to draw the canvas over and nail it before it is really getting framed.

Your idea about asking friends to have their children painted from a picture is great. I would be glad to do so for some old clothing or food. Things they can’t use anymore and much help over here especially right now when I can’t work for Germans. But we have to wait before starting that. I heard about a new heavy taxe they will put even on private gift boxes containing food. I have to find out first as I can’t pay that taxe and it might make the price of food even higher than over here.

You will never know how much your letters and the things you send means to me. The thinking you do that I might used this or that, makes your gifts so precious. It’s a nice sentence you wrote about shaking hands across the miles. Sometimes I wish I could answer you in German, I never know do I use the right words. I am telling everybody about you and your family to show for example that there is still friendship in the world. You know I stick for the Americans. It’s a shame that there are always bad people destroying the good somebody or a nation is doing.

The communists are doing that always and not all people have got brains enough to decide whats right or wrong. They are repeating only propaganda lines they hear. You should hear the communists in the Russian zone yell about the currency reform. They don’t give up telling us by radio they are angels and all they want is to give people heaven on earth. But all people living in the Russian zone are denying that. Right now they are messing up Berlin. I think you read about it and that the Americans are supporting the town by air.

I think it is much better to go thru a hard time having the hope of recovery than to go on like it has been. But bad people are already spoiling it again. You can buy the new money on the black market and it comes most from the Russian zone. I don’t know if I told you enough to make a picture of this present situation. I might have forgotten to tell some important things but I can’t overlook it now.

I have to quit, my boy has finished his nap. He is asking me to get out of the bed and get dressed. I didn’t mention how much Peter loved the little food cans and that you will make me happy with the announced clothing box. You know I can sew good enough to turn old things into new. My husband had the Lrerknig (?) you would like to have few months ago. He gave it away as we didn’t know you are still collecting. It’s hard to find this kind of picture on the bottom, but I’ll keep my eyes open. Even if I had one I couldn’t mail it right now the price is to high. I only can afford one letter stamp in a month. How did you like the pictures of Peter I send with the Easter greetings. Isn’t he grown up to a handsome boy?

Much love to you all and don’t forget to send a picture of Tommy, if I can’t mail it right now I certainly hope I am able to do so after I have finished his portrait. Please answer as soon as you got time. Uscha

Here with the letter for your girlfriend who gave you the good shoes and nice shirts for Peter.”

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“14 Sept. 1948

My dear Anne, This letter will be a short on as I am in the hospital and writing isn’t comfortably when you are in bed. It’s nothing serious I only didn’t feel too good after Peter’s birth, they fixed it now.

Yesterday my girlfriend brought me your letter and I got mad to find out that you didn’t received my long letter from July 3. You must think I am an ungrateful person not to thank you for the nice two boxes I got. I was so thrilled with the food cans and the wonderful shoes and undershirts for Peter you send. It was a long letter included one for your girlfriend, Mrs., oh I forgot her name, who was so kind to give you the shoes and shirts. What a shame the letter got lost. I sent him few days after the currency change and by that time the whole Western Germany was mixed up. May be that’s why the letter got lost. I’ll promise you a long letter as soon as I get out of here with many pictures and another letter to give to your girlfriend.

I am glad you got at least the pictures. I mailed them off two weeks before the letter and you like them there is so little I can do for you. Please don’t forget the picture of Tommy and I certainly would love to paint pictures of your friends from snapshots and get some old dresses, things for Peter or some food for it. It’s so much help even if things are entirely different here now after the currency change. I still wish my letter didn’t get lost as I told you my first impression after the change. From day to day life was so different. Saturday the currency changed, we all got only 40 new Deutsche Mark to live on the first time. We were all worried about paying the rent, the electricity, the food, as prices jumped high these days and we are only painters with no monthly wages, no income for sure but things turned out better then we dared to hope. The first month was pretty hard as people didn’t have money enough to buy watercolors and order portraits and in the shops you could buy almost all things your heart desired. Saturday, the change came and Monday we couldn’t believe our own eyes when the shops were full of vegetables and fruits. Imagine fruits, we haven’t seen fruits in a shop for three years! But yet people didn’t have the money to buy and the full shops were empty of customers. Before that people had to queue even for few carrots. By now life is getting normal again. People earned money again and now they can use the money to buy what they really need, food, dresses, material, nice pots and pans, dishes, all things we nearly forgot that they existed. But prices are so high that most people still can’t buy what they want but if you spare and wait a few months you know now I get the shoes I want. But here and there people start to hold things back again talking about another currency change which I don’t believe. Life is getting normal again even if we all are now poor without money in the background and going to a hospital like I did is a matter of money we had to think over. But I think it’s wonderful to know if you work hard you are able to buy for your money what you want and need, although it’s hard for us painters.

We are working now in advertising, making posters, decorating windows, every shop wants to show now he got the best things as there are more things to sell than people with money to buy the things. I hope I can give you a clear impression of all what’s going on now. Except for the planes flying over night and day the Berlin situation doesn’t affect us much. (She’s talking about the Berlin Airlift of 1948-1949. See link below)

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/berlin-airlift

But the thought that only war might end it is worrying us so much. But I do hope the Americans will not give in, my goodness, what will become of us if they don’t protect us any longer. Why can’t we live in peace and build up the country. Why is there always one who looks for quarell and war like Russia does now. Why can’t everybody live like we do, you in the U.S.A. and we in Germany with so much understanding of each other. You did so much for me and my family and like you are many of people and some day I might be able to turn back all the goods you did for us. It makes me always so mad that few bad people are spoiling all what is done for peace and friendship. There is not much place left to write more and I better quit talking about politics and go back to our private life. I can see your nice home now after the good job you did about explaining the colors and all to me, and Tommy starts already to walk and cut his first tooth. Time is passing by so quickly and the kids grow up so fast. My boy is now 2 years old, he understands as well English as German but he is slow in learning to talk by himself. Did I say how much he loved his new shoes, especially the white ones. He always cried if I put on the old shoes and if I ask him to bring his shoes he always gets the white shoes. Now I quit for today. I thank you for your letter, for your good heart that made you help the European orphans and just want I had better words to say what I think. Love to all of you, Uscha.”

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Dear Anne, This is my place at the advertising studio. I work now. I think I told you about it in my last letter. After currency change I couldn’t sell anymore paintings and portraits and I thought it might work better to go back to advertising art because in bad times people have to make advertising to sell their stuff. With three other guys we own now this studio. My life is entirely different from that I lived when you was over here. Sure I work too at that time but most of the time I stayed with my family. I kept the house for my husband and I went home every month to see Peter. I painted only in my spare time. Now everything changed. I am on my own. I am back in business. My husband works in another town and we see each other only seldom. I don’t even cook for myself (and I loved to cook). I am doing it now only on Sundays and the evenings, during the day I don’t have the time. It is a pity that I have to work with somebody else instead of my husband. But now a days you have to work hard for your living and you can’t choose when and what you want to work. But I am glad to tell you that this life is much better than it had been before currency change. Nobody can live on black market anymore. Everybody has to do real work and so we will recover faster. I don’t make much money right now because we have money to pay back we lend to build that studio. You will say was it necessary to build a studio? Yes, we had to because of the housing shortage. We tried for month to get a room we could work in, nothing. I think in two or three month everything is paid back and we all get much more money. So you don’t have to worry about my spending money on mail stamps and once in a while on a book with things I think you might like. Did you get the box I mailed a few weeks before Christmas?

But this isn’t what I wanted to start the letter with but it will explain why I didn’t answer your letter earlier. I am busy from morning to night some weeks. I only walk from my little house to the studio just two blocks away that’s all what I see form the outside of the world. After working from 9 in the morning to 10 – 11 in the night I am almost to worn out to gather any thought I could write to you.

I thought of you every day and I wished so much you would know how happy you made us with the three boxes. Every month I got a package. The box for Peter I got just in time to take home with me for Christmas. The other two I got after coming back to Bad Wildungen.

Peter enjoyed the nice toys you send and all the dresses fit him well. You should have seen him when he first saw the cars under the Christmas tree. The whole family were gathered together, the tree was lighted and all the toys for him were arranged under the tree. When we called him into the room he was so surprised to see so many toys that he asked me, Is that all mine?

Then he started running toward all the later. We could only get him to bed with all his new cars in the bed. He is so crazy about cars. I guess you also had a nice Christmas party with Tommy enjoying all new toys. The kids are growing up so fast, sometimes if I haven’t seen him for a long time I start wondering if I gave birth to this little man. I guess I got this funny feeling only because I see him so seldom. I wish I could have him around all the time.

I wish you lived still over here and I could go and see you for a long chat at your apartment at Stresemann Street. It takes such a long time to write down what you want to say and you can’t discuss things. If I get an answer back I almost forgot what I was talking about and more than that my English isn’t too good and often I can’t express myself. We could easier talk about all, about family, politic situation over here, about kids, housekeeping and my work. I could much easier talk about all the wonderful things you send me. The bright colored sweaters I love so much and never dared to hope I would own them. I just admire them on American women. I would thank you for the shoes, the black dresses and that I sure could tell what dresses came from you as I like them plain like you do. But I can use them all and will you please say thank you for me to all your girlfriends who gave you things to mail to me and that I appreciate it very much. Since war started I never had so many nice things and you know how much I like the American way to dress.

Every morning I drink a cup of coffee from the jars you send me, it real good coffee. We still don’t get coffee, it is free to sell now but no available. Coffee like a lot of other more necessary things are only announced in the newspapers. The other good food things I save until Gunter comes visit me.

I started Tommy’s portrait but I can’t seem to finish, there is always some work to do in a hurry. I mail it to you as soon as it is finished and I hope it will look like him. It is hard to do from such a little snapshot but it will be a nice memory picture anyway.

And now before I close the letter I give you a look at the studio. It is a little wooden house with two room, a little office room and the big room we work in. This is all for now. Thank you so much for all – much love to all, Uscha.”

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“June 22 – 1949

Dear Anne, What I am telling you now about my work and life the last three months is no excuse for not writing and answering your dear last letter but I guess it is an explanation. I would feel very bad if you think now as soon as the time for us over here isn’t as bad as it has been I am not going to forget you. No I am so glad to have a friend so far away in an other country. I love to write to you and hear from you. It makes me learn to understand people outside of my country. I always want to do some sketches in my letters that is at least the smallest thing I can do for you, but it takes time and coming back to the beginning of this letter, I didn’t have time for months.

Bad Wildungen celebrates it’s 700 year anniversary and hundred other things for it. I don’t have the words for it and my dictionary got lost. I’ll write about it in two weeks by that time all work will be done and the life will have some privacy again. We are working now the last weeks from 7 in the morning to 11 – 12 at night. The whole town is new painted. You wouldn’t recognize Bad Wildungen anymore. Every house will be adorned by coat of arms. We painted nearly 600 of it. I made paintings of some important days of this town in history, all will come alive in a convoy of wagons, about 20 I guess, all built different after my drawings. Next week I get pictures, I mean fotos of my paintings. I’ll send them later. The included poster you see on the snapshot at the beginning and here as a print, it is now over all in Germany. I painted it. The cards are from other artist but I guess you will like to have them just to remember Bad Wildungen.

Please do not mind my lasiness in writing, after the fourth of July I promise you a long letter answering your last and telling you how the big party turned out. Bad Wildungen expects 50,000 guests. They are coming from all part of Germany.

I finish this now and I guess this short letter will be better than none. Much love, Uscha

One day later. I couldn’t find the time to mail this letter right away and now I am glad I didn’t as I can tell you now I got the three boxes you sent me. What a big surprise, Christmas was over so long ago and grown up people usually get only gifts on that day. I am so thrilled with everything. What a beautiful coat and all the good shirts and the jacket and the things for Gunter. He comes here to the celebration. I can’t hardly wait to give him his stuff. It will be a surprise. Thank you so much Anne, you are so good. I’ll write about all more later. After the 700 years celebration. I guess I am quitting, my job and go home with Gunter, wouldn’t that be wonderful. If I do so I give you my new address but even letters coming still over here will be send to me. Yours Uscha.”

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“19, August, 1949 (8)

Dear Anne, It is raining outside and we (my husband and I) are sitting in a little cafe at the beach of Borkum North sea. The whole family is taking a vacation the first time in 10 years. May father invited us. It is so beautiful here. We take a lot of snapshots from which we paint in wintertime at home. Peter enjoys the water and he doesn’t look as pale as he usually looks. We are staying here for 2-3 weeks. The weather could be better. One day a little but sunshine, the next it is raining again. I wish we had some of the warmth you had at Florida.

Did you get my short letter in June with the poster and pictures of the 700 years anniversary of Bad Wildungen? I had a busy time working for that celebration.

My husband came on the first of July to see the big parade, then we packed and waited for a transportation to our new home. I told you that I would quit my job and go home didn’t I? It couldn’t go on like this for ever. The family separated all the time. Although I had a good job at B.W. and it is hard to get a good job. We will stay with my husbands parents. Gunter changed the attic into a nice little studio. It is still hard and nearly impossible to get an apartment. Although everybody is busy and working hard to build up the cities, there is still not enough room for everyone.

You wouldn’t recognize Germany. Most houses are freshly painted and a lot of new buildings you see in the cities almost built over night. The shops are full of good things but most people can only go window shopping. The prices are too high and don’t go along with the income. But if you save a little every month you buy whatever you need after a while. Without the ERP (the European Recovery Program) and the currency change we would live as bad as one year ago. You can’t imagine how good both worked out. We don’t have to worry about food anymore and nobody is going hungry. Most of the food is still rationed but enough for everybody.

In the Russian Zone it is still bad, even worser than it has been one year ago over here. Everybody knows this and so the communists couldn’t get more votes in the election last week. I guess my husband writes better about those things.

He was surprised and pleased with the contents of the package you sent him. He says everything is so comfortably and of such a good material. He loves to see the dresses on me you sent. I am so glad I don’t have to buy things for me as we still don’t make much money. It is such a help beside I like your dresses so much. They are just the way I always wanted to be dressed. But it means more than that; everytime I wear a skirt, a sweater, the nylons or that wonderful suit and this winter your black overcoat, I think of you and all people over the world who are like you who are improving to feel more friendly and have more understanding and be more helpful – and if millions of people would be like this it would prevent war.

Now to the 700 year anniversary of Bad Wildungen. The celebration was a big success. They had two big parades. One showed the important facts of history. In the second all kids from 6-14 were dressed in the costumes of the best known fairytales like Hansel and Gretel and more. The little boys and girls looked so pretty in their dresses all designed by themselves only with a little help of the teacher.

I loved this part of the party best. The kids enjoyed so much to be a little princess or the old witch in Hansel and Gretel. The American kids took part in the parade too. In the night they had dances and big parties. A big place was outside the town with merry-go-rounds and all that stuff.

Where are you now, still at Scott Field or again moved somewhere around the world. Tommy must be a big boy by now. I would like to see pictures of him. The portrait I started of him I didn’t mail it, didn’t look good and I didn’t like it. The eyes looked all right to me but I couldn’t get the open mouth from the picture. It was a little bit too small for that and not too sharp. I guess he changed a lot in all that time. Please do send me another one or better, two that would make it much easier for me to get the right impression. Please send me some snapshots. I feel so bad that I didn’t do a good job on that first portrait. This is all for today. From now on I try not to let you wait for a letter such a long time. I am always waiting for your letters. Love to you all, Uscha.”

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(GUNTER’S LETTER)

“19, August 1949

Dear Mrs. Barr, In July I came to Bad Wildungen to get Uscha and move to our new home near Dusseldorf in the English Zone where are parents live.

I was so surprised to find a box with things for me. All these things fit well, even the shoes and the slippers are now rug No. 1 shoes they are so comfortably. I like the American things because I stood 1 ½ years in Marseilles as a P.O.W. in an American Camp and learned the quality of shirts, pants, shoes, etc. I thank you so much!

We can buy things in Germany now, but they are expensive and not of a good quality. Most of the real good things are for export. But it is very much better as one year ago. We have enough food. Only bread, meat and fat are rationed. As you lived here in Germany we got only 4-8 ounces of fat, now we get 2 lbs. and 1 ½ lbs of meat. Maybe 2 lbs. next month. That changed in one year, since the ERP started and our currency changed. All people is interested to work now because they can buy what they need for her money. On the first month of the year a lot of shops had to close and people lost work. (It’s now better, season – workers got jobs.) It would be much better if only U.S. Mil. Govt. had to decide. (I speak of Western Germany). The English and French have often different opinions of what to do.

For example: We pay high taxes on all luxury and common things we buy (one cigarette costs the factory 2 ½ Pt. – 7 ½ Pt. are the taxes, same with coffee, liquors, wine, chocolate etc.) This way a lot of money came back to German Regierun (this means persons or people in charge) Plants, factories would need now credit. This money is there but the English don’t give the permission that this money is lend to the industry. So they can’t work economical. No money shall be invested. The English are afraid of our export.

Another thing is the demontage (this is a German word for dismantling or demolition) of factories now 4 years after end of the war. I mean the factories, which never worked for the war industry. For example a factory for synthetic fat is witten. Another example: a big steel plant (on the demontage list) should – by a German suggestion – work for the Youth of Europe. That means that the surplus should be used for the education of the child’s of Europe, for war – orphans etc. The French and English say NO. That are only a few examples.

The American Govt. is on our side, they will help us to build up our houses, streets, plants, etc. They give us money and things to do this. Only the English and French are in permanent fear that we might export cheaper and better than they can. So they run against the American wishes.

You can’t imagine how Germany did change. Especially in our Western destroyed industry – town. Streets are clean, buildings and homes rebuilt more and more. Streetcar business new. Any where you see is fresh paint. Before one year 6 trains stopped on the small town where I live. Today 52 trains and 2 bus lines. Everybody can have a car and the streets are full of them.

I am happy over the election last Sunday in Western Germany. I think we get a really Democratic Bundes Regierung (Bundesregierung or Federal Government), the part of communists is very small, thanks heaven! What my friends and I wonder is the lot of parties in Germany. We think there is too much, two or three parties would do the same. Left, right and maybe a centre. The U.S. Govt. ought to allow only these 3 parties. (In another letter I will tell you something about the Russian Occ. Zone, if you are interested in it).

I lived 1 year in Constance (Bodensee) in the French Zone. I hadn’t enough to do there and Uscha disliked that place. So I went back to that place where we lived before and built a pretty nice studio in the house of my parents with a big steel window. Live goes on in Dusseldorf and I hope there we find work in the near future. (the art professions are not so much asked because people buy first thing they need, like furniture, clothing and food.) We have no more black market. A good sign! People live more to work now. Everybody is busy and more than busy! What our country needs is credit, the permission to use our own by taxes back coming money. We import only with the ERP, money things like food, metals, leather, gasoline, oil etc. These money is not used for commercial or industry. (It is difficult to explain and I hope you can understand what I mean). My friends are with me the same opinion that it would be better if there would be only the U.S. occupation (even in the British Zone 70 – 80 % have this opinion).

We are happy about Mr. McCloy. He seems to be the right person. He is only a few weeks here but everybody thinks he is doing right. We believe that he will help us to get on our own feet. (The English rag it only but they do the opposite!)

“We sent you a box with two cups and a small Rosenthal dancer. Hope you get it unbroken. On my next letter I sent you some snapshots I made and some of house and studio too and you’ll see how nice we dressed we look with your gifts. But the films is not developed yet. Thanks for the gifts! Very truly yours, Gunter Ebinghaus.”

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“Nov. 3, 1949

Dear Anne, I guess this is the first time I have your letters with me to answer them correctly. Most times it just happens, I write the letters somewhere where I don’t have your letters with me or can’t find them in all that moving around from places to places. It is a bright but very cold morning today but inside the studio it is nice warm. There is no urgent work to do so I will the time to write.

I am so glad I could send you something you liked. You helped us so much by sending boxes during those hard years that we are happy to be able to send you now something in return. Too bad the arm was broken we packed it so carefully but I hope it won’t show after fixing. I have looked around on my trip to the cities Essen, Duisburg and Dusseldorf during the last month to find out about good pieces of Meissner and Rosenthal and about the prices. I have seen beautiful antique figurines, dancers, children. Time; beginning of the last century and older, master pieces but so expensive. You won’t believe it. Two figurines on a bench with a tree behind not bigger than a man’s hand cost about 120 – DM. Smaller single pieces 80 – DM. That sounds crazy but the prices had always been like that even before war. You could get them only cheap when people go hungry and had to trade family Meissner for food.

Except butter we have no rationed food anymore since Nov. 1. So when people still give it away they sell it now for money only and not at a lower price than a store as the Meissner factories are in the Russian Zone and good prices have always been seldom. I wonder what the beautiful collection your friend has would be worth now. Small prices not of Meissner or Rosenthal but from other good and well known factories are available for 15 – 30 DM. You get for one dollar about 4.40 DM. Well you can figure out what each would cost for you.

The time now is hard but almost normal and so different from the time you have been here. You can’t make a good bargain anymore. I am so sorry I have to give you so bad news about the prices of Meissner and Rosenthal as I think it a wonderful idea to decorate a room with all things you collected in Germany. But there is a chance to get some pieces from friends. We young people don’t have any but the older couples might have same some. I am looking around. Mother will give me a lady dressed in a flower print dress from 1830. Only she isn’t brand new anymore. One had is a little broken, although it doesn’t show much. It is the only left over piece from a wonderful collection of her mother, my grandma. A bomb dropped in the garden, blew the walls inside the house away and all furniture to pieces. Somehow this lady survived with only on blessed hand. I have also another one for you, a small one with pictures of Napoleon. Say can’t it be also some other good pieces of Meissner as there are cups, dishes with special paintings and something else? Please write me about it and tell me how much you can spend on it.

Well that’s all about that. Now to the food box you want to send for Christmas. I think it’s awfull nice of you to think of our Christmas but please do not spend your good money on food anymore as I told you food is not rationed anymore. Go on sending your old clothes you don’t wear anymore and if you can some instant coffee. We can’t afford coffee, only drink it on special occasions it is too expensive the taxe on it is so high. 1 pound 14 – 16 DM. Before war, only 2.50 – 3 M. We are as crazy to have dresses American style as you are to collect Meissner.

When the Germans would whistle at something looking nice as the American do they sure would whistle not at me but at the sight of the beautiful black winter coat you sent me. The coat is so nice and warm now and so beautiful to look at. I didn’t have to change anything. I just slipped in it.

After all you wrote me about Tommy I guess he is much bigger than Peter is. He goes to a kindergarten and he is the smallest but one of the noisiest kids there and not afraid of all the big boys. His favorite toys are still cars and I can’t get him interested in other toys longer than five minutes. He still plays with the fire department truck (or what is the name for it) you sent long ago. It is a little damaged but lasted longer than any other toy.

You wrote you went with Tommy swimming. He can’t really swim at his age or can he? He is so young. I had always trouble to get Peter into the water. He was always afraid to be drowned. He hasn’t seen water before. Peter is tall but thin and bony, no fat but he is healthy, always happy and easy to handle and that is all what matters I guess. It doesn’t depend on food, we give him everything he needs. He still wears some of the shirts you sent and one of the pants, a woolen one and it grows in length with him. I am glad he doesn’t outgrow all stuff too fast.

It has been hard to get some work. We weren’t successful during more than two month but finally Gunter got a job making advertising art for the Demag who builds bridges, cranes and so. I work for a department store painting fashion poster for decoration and recently I started poster for the BV oil and gas companies, like your Standard Oil is. I like this especially, painting gas stations, friendly looking men inviting you to change oil in time. You just look in your magazines and you notice a lot advertising of oil, the kind I do now over here.

About the occupation you got me all wrong. Only our government and a few people want them to move out. Most of us wish they stay as long as the Russians are around. They would right away take over Western Germany and from there the rest of Europe. That’s what we are all afraid of. It really is an iron curtain between West and East Germany. The horrible news come only from people fled over the border. The people didn’t choose the new government in the Russian Zone by election, the Russians have put it in their place and make them do what they want. It is just a show to make the world believe how kind Russia is in treating the defeated Germans, giving them a government with nearly every right (but that’s only on paper and nobody believes it). There are still concentration camps as worse as the Nazis had. If you speak frankly what you think you disappear over night. No one will ever hear of you again whether you go to a camp or to Siberia and don’t survive it. You can’t even sell your property, your piano or bureau when you need money. You have to ask for a permission. Imagine that on such a private action. We live only 300 km from that border but worlds are between us. We know everything going on in the world but nothing definite of the other part of Germany. How glad can we be that every member of our family lives in the West. We have a hard but free and democratic life. We can talk frankly about everything, we don’t have to be afraid that someone who happens to listen will go denounce us. It must be horrible not to trust even best friends or members of family, they might go get you in jail for profit or just believe. Yes, the wrong is right in the Russian Zone.

The newspaper said now we got our own Government. Everybody can get our of Germany for a visit to another country or emigration. Until now only big businessmen and reporters were to travel.

You know how much we always wished to come to the U.S. If we can’t get a permanent entry for the reset years it depends on the quota Germany got. We will save money to go on a short visit first. I don’t like to live so near Russia. I never would get along with their ideas. Here is no misery, no food shortage, anymore (anyone) we want to get away from, no you live here now as good as anywhere.

We don’t think to get into a paradise, we know we have to work hard for a living all over the world. That’s quite all right but Europe has no future, they go on quarreling about unimportant things instead of getting united against Russia. What does a privilege of France or Belgium or Germany mean when such a danger is ahead. And if there will be war what I hope never will happen it will be a war between the Russian and the American world and we want and have to be on the American side.

I let you know what information I get from the consulate. Maybe we have to wait years, maybe they ask for a big stock of money. Anyway we will see what we can do. Seeing each other again wouldn’t it be wonderful but I guess by that time you move to a faraway corner of the world or just back to Germany.

On my easel is an oil picture I started for a competition in Munich under the custodis (This is Latin for “guard” or “keeper”) of Mr. Bleoin Davis. They have a collection of pictures painted by German artists age 18 – 40 from all four occupation zones to find out the best five paintings. The first prize is 2000 dollars and a trip to the U.S. second 500 dollars and a trip to Paris, third 500 and a trip to Rome, the two next 100 dollars each. Well I don’t think I make it, we have too many good artists. I guess I have not the smallest chance but at least I cant try.

I send three pictures. A landscape of Amsterdam watercolour, lilies painted in oil and another oil called widow shopping. A young woman with her boy admires a dress. You see her back but the window glass is like a mirror and shows her portrait, that is the interesting part of the picture.

I am always interested in the included pictures. Thank you. We buy sometimes Saturday Evening Post and Life if they are available at the newspaper stand to learn what’s getting on outside of Germany. These are all news for today. In two weeks when I get to Essen I’ll have the box on the way to you. Much love Uscha.

I hope you can read my writing and figure out what I mean when I sure the wrong words. But how do I know, nobody corrects my English and I am only learning by reading books and listening to AFN.”

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“January 5, 1950

Dear Anne, Right after xmas we had to hurry through some urgent work – illustration for an oil company – so I had to postpone my letter for one week.

First I wish to thank you, your boxes made us very happy with all your gifts and the food. We had the most wonderful xmas we have had in years. The boxes came in one after the other. The last arrived on Christmas Eve with you letter. The letter traveled fast. It took only five days. Though I couldn’t wait to open the beautiful wrapped little packages, I had to put them away until xmas day. We had them all under the tree beside there was still so much left to look at and unpack – it didn’t end. The table was overfloating (I love this as I know she means “overflowing”) and the couch was full of things too. Well but I better try to take it easy and tell you once after another. But how to put in words all the surprise, the delight, the happiness we felt when we opened a box.

First the food box came in – and the very next moment a cup of steaming coffee was on the table and we were sitting around the box reading directions for use and planning what dishes the American way we would prepare for xmas. We sniffed at the fruit cake – hmm delicious – but decided not to start eating right away to wait till Christmas, though our mouth watered. How can you say the meat is not so good – it’s been wonderful to us. I don’t know what they put in it to get such delicious taste, the label just says meat, onions, salt, pepper. All the rolls and cookies I baked turned out good. It’s so easy to bake with a ready mix and there is still something left for special occasions. Sometimes we celebrate a new order for illustration or a poster with a special dish, some cookies and a drink.

The shoes for Peter are a little big and that is good. Guess in spring they will fit all right by that time. He has out grown the shoes he wears now. The overall fits all right. He never seems to have enough of them. They are always dirty. We don’t have them at stores. I buy some material and cut the pattern from a corduroy overall you send. I think they are so convenient. I wear the nice white sweater already and Gunter is pleased with his things. (There is a painting on this page, see the photos above, where Uscha is taking rolls out of the oven and under this painting it says “as you see I have my hair cut short”)

Now back to xmas eve. We celebrate the evening not in the morning as you do and some people over here. We started very early at five so that Peter could enjoy his new toys a little longer before be put to bed. We lighted the candles and called Peter in as usually we had the toys for him arranged under the tree. He had never had such a great time. He didn’t know where to look first – at the second glance he saw the train – all he said was oh and right away he started playing. He didn’t even take the time to look around for some more, you picked out the right toy. It’s funny he never cared for anything else but cars but seeing your train he wasn’t interested no more in the cars Santa Claus gave him. What wonderful toys you sent and so many. Much too much for such a little boy! All were so colorful and the difference to the toys he is used to made them so attractive to him. Next beloved toy (first is the train) are the sectional animals. First I thought him to young to do it with out help. I sure was mistaken, he proud showed grandma how to do it and all without help. Long before xmas I told him the American Santa Claus had a box on the way for him, now he ask me what did the American Santa Claus send this and this and that? I liked the pop out picture books very much. I saw books like that a the stores but they are too expensive. I fixed a gingerbread house for Peter, Pfefferkuchenhaus, as we call it – with candies and chocolate.

Well after we had Peter busy playing with trains, books, balls and cars we finally had the time we waited for such long to open our gift packages. I am thrilled with the lipsticks, the nylons and the soap, hmm does it smell good. How did you know I had so much trouble to find a decent lipstick, buyed a lot but never happened to find one equall to the bright color my old Revlon had. I kept the butt to compare with colors here.

Peter looks really beautiful in his new brown-yellow striped shirt and brown pants. The dark and yellow colors match wonderful his light hair and make his blue eyes even bluer. The choice of these colors showed your very good taste – and the socks, newest fashion, saw them in magazines.

Imagine the happy surprise of my family when I showed off all the nice gifts you sent, they were happy with me. See you made our xmas this year to a very very happy one.

Many news you wrote me. Transferred to Des Moins Iowa means to live a long way from home – well, think it doesn’t matter so much as long as you and Tom are together. But it means a lot of work for you, packing and arranging a new home – and to leave all the friends you had at Zelleville – or where you lived, though you won’t have a hard time to make new friends living in a community of young couples. That’s the trouble with us here, we live among old people all retired, no young people around. It’s hard after having had a lot of friends at Bad Wildungen.

News of all news, you are going to have another baby. With all my heart the best wishes for you and the coming baby – hope you won’t have a hard time and for Tommy it will be wonderful to have a play mate. It isn’t good to be an only child – I was one and I missed a brother or sister very much. Now it looks like Peter is going to be an only child too. But under the circumstances we live we can’t have another baby.

Guess your father’s collection of stamps must be very beautiful and expensive. Started with your great grandfather, mother’s dead brother had a good collection, now daddy is just keeping it as a value. Gunter’s hobby is the photography. He news (knows) almost everything about new cameras, new lenses and other equipment new on the market. He possessed quiet a lot of various cameras but lost most of them during war – now he is building up his equipment again. I don’t have any hobby except my learning English (tho I didn’t get far) if you can call that a hobby. Doing something with your heart and enjoying it – guess you might as well call it a hobby, not exactly but I think it comes close to it.

American magazines, Life and Saturday Evening Post are now available at leading newspaper stands. They charge for a 30 cent magazine 1.50 DM which I think it’s crazy. It 30 pfennig (penny) too much. I still buy it tho. It keeps me in the know about American life and what it going on seeing it from your point of view. Saturday Evening Post Dec. 3, had an article, Illustrator (how American earn their living). The article was very interesting though not new to me. Some work means the same all over the world. But I learned now the right words for my job. I don’t work in advertising art, the right word is commercial art and I do exactly what Thornton Utz does, Illustrate. Only they can’t print over work over here in color, too expensive – so it usually has to be done in black and white. Gee, would I love to work in color, that’s been the only thing wrong for me in illustration – that’s why I preferred fine art.

I started just the way he did, first doing small jobs in studios, than for bigger studios, doing frame art in my spare time. Now we work free, lancing it means we work for ourselves. Only we don’t know the convenience of having an agent arranging jobs for you on a profit of 25%. I sure would love that – we get some work instead of concentrating on the work. I’d rather spend 25 % for an agent.

It’s time for me to fix supper. Hope your xmas has been as wonderful as ours. My best wishes for a happy New Year to you and your family and thank you so much for all the lovely gifts. Much love, Uscha.” (Then Gunter writes this on the back page of Uscha’s letter)

“Dear Mrs. Barr, That was a great surprise for me that Santa Claus had brought some gifts for me too. The sweater fits well. It’s so different from anything we can buy over here. I love the gay pattern. And the socks are a thrill and I sure do appreciate the other things too. I thank you very much. I wish you and your family very happy New Year with much luck and lots of money. I am yours very sincerely, Yours G. A. Ebinghaus.

P.S. If you would know how hard this writing was you would take Gunter’s few lines for a 10 page letter.” Uscha

https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/artists/thornton-utz/

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“April 2, 1950

Dear Anne, Easter isn’t far – only one week to go and I really have to get around to answer your long letter. My struggle with time is endless – I never seem to be able to do all I want to and time is always passing by too quickly. Your letter from Jan. 28 traveled by ship and train – your postage was insufficient for Air – so it took over a month to get here. I was already worried something happened to you. Well – it doesn’t matter when I get a letter from you as long as I get one at all. I am always so much interested whatever you have to tell me.

So glad the little lady arrived unbroken and you and even Tom like her – that is really wonderful having him taken part in your love of collecting beautiful little things. Hope to find some more for you.

No – first we wouldn’t want to work free lancing – maybe later. I know now a lot about that commercial art business. You gave me some information I read about it and get connections with people from overseas working in that business. I did already a poster for B.V. Aral, A German Gas and a friend introduced us to Standard Oil in Hamburg. We are trying to get a job there. Maybe it works out, maybe not – the distance is too far and they don’t like to have an illustrator that far away – you see we still can’t move as easy from one town to another as we please. We’ll see.

The Coca-Cola Company is located in Essen for Germany and the reset year they start a calendar for Germany, the way you have yours with big pictures only more the way German customers want him to be. This year they just took the American calendar and changed the written parts into German – they told me I might get that job – I don’t want it – there are too many illustrators wanting that job but I watch and my chance is my living in the neighborhood. Nothing is definite but it would be wonderful and I guess of some help with the new start we have to make in the states.

We didn’t hear from the Consul but that is a good sign. Just one month later after our sending in of the applications the newspapers announced no more applicants would be accepted during the reset five year – the quota was filled. We don’t hear anything before our turn perhaps one year or longer but when they ask you to send the papers in and let you come for a personal questioning it works fast. How lucky you are to be born just then.

Now some other news – May I present the youngest and newest member of the family to you – here he is, a black DACKEL. You have to find out yourself what kind of dog it is. I don’t know the English word. We got him xmas as a small puppy yet he is almost grown up. He is as shinny as black piano. We have a lot of fun with him, especially the kids. He is so wild and if Peter behaves it’s sure the dog who tears something up. Usually one of them comes crying or barking for help when they are playing together.

Some weeks ago I took Peter first time to the movies – Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s been lovely. I liked it very much but don’t think he did as much. No cars in that picture you see – looks to me an advertising pictures of Ford’s newest models would have him more impressed.

Between my rides to Essen to deliver my illustrations to the agency I work for, I am as busy as you are doing the spring-cleaning of my rooms, fixing up everything – and I already started sewing a summer house dress. I still don’t need many new things with all your dresses.

The winter was especially mild – we had actually only one week below zero. Now a light green over, a veil lays upon every tree and bush – it looks so nice. In a few weeks the trees will blossom.

Just one week to go – the next Sunday Peter will look for his Easter bunny. I guess that’s how you call the little gifts of candy eggs, the chocolate rabbits and so on. Hope the weather is fine so that we can make the nests in the garden. You got the same custom? Here it’s only for kids adults don’t exchange gifts on Easter.

You mind when I ask you for a snapshot of you and little Tommy or the whole family? I would like so much to have a picture. Don’t even know what Tommy looks like. Please pick one out of all the snapshots you sure have taken during last year.

Don’t bother with sending some color film for Gunter, it is very nice and thoughtful of you but in a couple of months they will be here available. Next week I have to go into a coal pit to make some sketches and get that atmosphere. I am doing illustration for a miner calendar, 12 pictures.

These are all news I have to tell you for now. Wish you all a Frohliche Ostern (Happy Easter) and hope to hear from you as soon as you find the time. Do you got a house or an apartment. How do you like it in Des Moines? A lot of questions. Wish I could peek a little just to see where you live and how you live now. Love Uscha.”

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“February 28^th, 1951

Dear Anne, Always I am late with my letter but nevertheless, I want you to know how happy you made us with your xmas surprise parcels. As I told you, Gunter took hold of them when they arrived so I just could see Peters beautiful red truck but couldn’t make out what the other things were until xmas eve – and I sure was dying to know.

The nylon – what’s the name for it, underskirt? sure is lovely and fits perfect. It’s so light and much warmer than it looks, it’s like the nylon stockings, they look thin and cold but keep warm. And for the cold days Gunter’s rappers are really perfect specially with the new coal shortage we are in. U.S.A. is still leading with such new nice things.

Hope you had just as fine xmas as we had. Peter was happy with his new red truck and grandma too (she could throw away the old truck designed by my father). Your car is more noiseless with the rubber tires and goes better along with our nerves. Well that was xmas – now to the news. Guess, I can’t stay long at the same place. I moved to my parents in Essen as I told you, we weren’t very successful last year, most of the time Gunter had no job at all and I had a hard time getting paid for my free-lancing work. I got mighty tired of working for no or little money so I took the offered steady job with my old agency I worked for 10 years ago. It’s nice there and I love it but wonder how long it will last with the shortage of paper. No paper to print on, no illustrations, no more job – it sure is basic mathematics.

Anyway – we are much better of now. Only I see Gunter once a week on Saturdays and Sundays, but I see Peter everyday when I get back at 600 P.M. from my work. He is still with my parents and I can always quit as soon as Gunter finds a job but I love my work though. And you? How are you making out? Keeping you on the bounce. Peter has outgrown the baby. He is in his 5^th year, and no longer sweet, he is a real boy, doesn’t even like to be hugged – it keeps him away from playing and he never has time enough on his hands. Please mammy only five minutes more – when I want him to go to bed. He is a real outdoor boy. Guess little Tommy is the same type. But lately he can’t get rid of his cough – it’s three month now and he is getting thinner and thinner, all bones and he grows so fast. I am really worried. And Tommy – does he catch a cold as easy as Peter or is he always healthy? And how is little Anne – not long and she will take her first steps. Time runs.

I got already a lot of grey hair, with 32 it’s really early. It sure is because of the war and what came after. I am very lazy with my writing I know but I think of you quite often, what are you doing and whether you are still happy to have Tom with you – and how the kids are and what do they look like. Please, do send me a snapshot.

I still believe that I might see you again someday, somewhere, although it doesn’t look like it. We would have made our entry this year if you won’t have had the new law of security. Well they changed it last week so we are on the list again being only a member of a professional art institution. I wonder how long it will take now – sooner or later we will make it, I don’t give up. That’s all for today. Thank you very much for the nice things – and much love to you all. Uscha.

Please drop me a few lines soon.”

(This “P.S.” is written on the last page and dated a month later)

“March 28^th, P.S. Before I could finish the letter I caught influenza and had to stay in bed for two weeks and still I have to struggle through the day. When I came home after work I was so down that the only thing to do was to go right to bed to gather a little strength for the next day. I don’t want to loose my job if I stay too long away. So I have this letter with me for nearly a month and couldn’t get the sketches in and mail it. You sure will think I am a very ungrateful person not to answer your xmas letter right away. Please do understand. The drawings are from Autobahn pictures I am doing now.”

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“Aug. 27, 1951

Dear Anne, If I don’t write right now I suppose you’ll be already in Germany before getting my letter. It sure has been a surprise to hear you are coming back to Germany and it were wonderful news and I wanted to write a long letter but instead I was stuck in bed for 6 weeks. Quite some time and I didn’t like it at all. Most times I have been too mad to write though I didn’t feel actually bad or as bad as the doctor told me I was. In February I catched a cold seeing my son off to train to Brokum. As usually I didn’t pay much attention to it and I don’t know how three month later it turned out to be a neglected pneumonia and I had to stay in bed to avoid TB.

Well I am not exactly over it yet but I fell a lot better and I am out of bed a couple of hours every day. You see that’s the reason I didn’t write though I think it will be wonderful to talk to you again, to see you. It sure is a small world, sometimes I tried to imagine meeting you again in the U.S. instead you’ll be over here again.

You’ll find everything in Germany changed. Life is hard but normal again. First you’ll see the glamorous outside, new buildings, big cars, well dressed people, behind it doesn’t look so good, but at least we are like any other European country with poor and some rich people.

Well I better try to answer your questions you’ll have when you watch the life and notice the difference between 47 and today. You sure must all come and visit us as soon you are settled. We get you a room at an hotel we have now space enough though no beds enough. My parents own the house, they will have 4 rooms and we have got 1 ½. So you see it won’t any bothering at all – and now as civilized people again we would love to have you all. It’s just 5 hours drive over the autobahn from Frankfurt to Essen and you sure can take a weekend off with the family to visit us. We have a small car now – a very slow car but better than walking it still is.

They are building an American House in town, the only one in the Rhine Ruler Center. Probably the only one in the English zone. they’ll have a big library where I can get almost any American book and newspaper, all I want to know about the states. I think it will be wonderful to have the American House right here at our door.

That’s all for today – since I know you’ll be here soon. I don’t fell like writing anymore. I sure will help you to get some old Meissner but you can’t get it anymore from private persons. They keep the rest they might have saved. Love Uscha.

How does Tom like being in Germany again?”

Again, I wish I knew what happened to Uscha after this last letter was written. Did she and Anne stay in touch? And did Gunter and Peter move with her to the Island of Majorca? I have found a few other paintings of hers on the web but after reading her letters, you can just see how prolific she was when it came to her paintings, so there’s has to be more of her somewhere. And if I ever find out more, I’ll share it here. Thanks for staying with me on this long journey.