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I found this post-war souvenir in a thrift store the other day. It measures about 9 x 9 inches. it reads:
When the battle of Berlin was over, they met again, just a small group of friends: some painters and designers, and a woman well acquainted with all kinds of fancy-work.
They looked around and none of them said a word. What should they say, what did they feel facing the dead under blooming lilacs and the smouldering ruins of their beloved town? With the churches burnt out and their old windows beautifully coloured gone to piece, the bridges fallen down into the river, the rails bent and the trees burst, and with mountains of rubbishbarring the streets once full of life. What should they do looking at a chaos like this that seemed to have put an end at last to a long but wrong way?
Life must go on. It broke the silence, One of them said, they ought to make something of the rubbish that was left. But what?
This is the story of these butterflies: they were made during the summer of 1945 in Berlin piece after piece by the clever and patient hands of men and women, who had no paints and brushes to work with and no canvas or paper to work on, but were ready to do most everything.
These butterflies are no precious works of art. But those who made them believe that they are right to say: nothing is so ugly that it would be impossible to make something good of it. And they sincerely hope that everyone of these butterflies coming from the ruins of Berlin into a world will have a friendly reception wherever ot may go to. For it wants to tell that there are many Germans who will do their best to make good for the terrible and shameful events of the past. Such is the message you will bring home taking with you this butterfly number L 102 a true imitations of “vanessa jo” that you may have seen in the gardens and parks of Berlin – in memory of summer 1945.
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Gerda Pannhausen
Hauptstrasse 131
Berlin- Schonenberg
I found this post-war souvenir in a thrift store the other day. It measures about 9 x 9 inches. it reads:
When the battle of Berlin was over, they met again, just a small group of friends: some painters and designers, and a woman well acquainted with all kinds of fancy-work.
They looked around and none of them said a word. What should they say, what did they feel facing the dead under blooming lilacs and the smouldering ruins of their beloved town? With the churches burnt out and their old windows beautifully coloured gone to piece, the bridges fallen down into the river, the rails bent and the trees burst, and with mountains of rubbishbarring the streets once full of life. What should they do looking at a chaos like this that seemed to have put an end at last to a long but wrong way?
Life must go on. It broke the silence, One of them said, they ought to make something of the rubbish that was left. But what?
This is the story of these butterflies: they were made during the summer of 1945 in Berlin piece after piece by the clever and patient hands of men and women, who had no paints and brushes to work with and no canvas or paper to work on, but were ready to do most everything.
These butterflies are no precious works of art. But those who made them believe that they are right to say: nothing is so ugly that it would be impossible to make something good of it. And they sincerely hope that everyone of these butterflies coming from the ruins of Berlin into a world will have a friendly reception wherever ot may go to. For it wants to tell that there are many Germans who will do their best to make good for the terrible and shameful events of the past. Such is the message you will bring home taking with you this butterfly number L 102 a true imitations of “vanessa jo” that you may have seen in the gardens and parks of Berlin – in memory of summer 1945.
Send by
Gerda Pannhausen
Hauptstrasse 131
Berlin- Schonenberg
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