A recent donation to the Museum’s collection showcases Shanghai in 1945 through the eyes of a Jewish refugee living there.
Fred Fredden-Goldberg, a German-born Jewish artist, fled Germany in 1938 and found refuge in Shanghai until 1947, when he immigrated to San Francisco. In Shanghai, he created the watercolors displayed in the slideshow below.
His work was collected by Robert Wishmeier, a navigator in the First Marine Air Wing. Stationed in Shanghai, Robert is believed to have purchased the watercolors directly from the artist in 1945 or 1946. They hung in the Wishmeier home and can be seen in the background of a photograph of Bettie Wishmeier, Robert’s wife, which is also included in this donation.