From Men’s Leisure Outfitter to James Bond: A Family Story
From Our Holdings
With this poster by the well-known graphic artist Louis Oppenheim (1879–1936), the S. Adam clothing store advertised its products in 1908. Sports enthusiasts, both men and women, got their equipment there for hiking trips or ski vacations.
Louis Oppenheim, Advertising poster S. Adam Sports and Travel Wear; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
The S. Adam Clothing Store in Berlin
The business was founded in 1863 by Saul David Adam. Situated at a prime location in the center of Berlin, the store specialized in fine men's and boy's wear, including bathrobes. However, the accelerated pace of urban life in the early twentieth century affected the business, which had passed into the hands of his sons. As the prosperous middle class was swept by the sports craze, S. Adam introduced and expanded a suitable product range, adding gear for travel, sports, and tropical climates.
Costumes for Arnold Fanck's Mountain Films
The director Arnold Fanck (1889–1974), later famous for films such as The White Hell of Pitz Palu, used costumes by S. Adam for his first mountain films in the 1920s. Ties to the movie industry continued to bear fruit for family members long after the store had closed in 1937. Ken Adam attained international fame as a production designer for James Bond films. Born in 1921 to one of the Adam brothers in Berlin, he had emigrated with his parents to the United Kingdom in 1934.
| Title | Advertising poster S. Adam Sports and Travel Wear |
|---|---|
| Artist | Louis Oppenheim (1879–1936) |
| Collection | Fine Arts |
| Location and year of origin | Berlin, 1908 |
| Medium | Color lithograph on machine-made Japanese paper |
| Dimensions | 70 x 95 cm |
Selected Objects: Fine Arts Collection (12)
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Fine Arts Collection
Glance through our art holdings featuring modernist works by Max Liebermann and Lovis Corinth, and commercial graphic art by Louis Oppenheim. The motifs span from biblical and Jewish themes to intimate portraits and Felix Nussbaum’s haunting response to his experience of persecution.
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Albertine Mendelssohn-Bartholdy as a Bride by August Theodor Kaselowsky
In this painting, Albertine Heine appears to be a Christian Madonna. She holds the ring near her heart, wearing a white dress with her gaze modestly lowered.
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Biblical map of the Holy Land
This "New and Original Biblical Map of the Holy Land" from 1893 was probably never intended to be used by pilgrims or travelers on the ground.
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Loneliness by Felix Nussbaum
Nussbaum is nearly unique among artists for his striking examination of his plight as one of the persecuted. He painted it in Brussels, where he was in hiding, in 1942.
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The Plesch Family Portrait by Max Slevogt
Max Slevogt created this painting of his friend's family in 1928. It captures the intimacy of family life while fulfilling a group portrait's representative function.
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Composition by Otto Freundlich
Otto Freundlich painted this abstract composition in 1938 – one year after another artwork of his had been branded "degenerate art" in Nazi Germany.
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Moses Looks upon the Promised Land by Lesser Ury
For artist Lesser Ury, the painting marked the end of a lifelong preoccupation with the figure of Moses. Unfortunately, only a pastel sketch for the painting survives.
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Petermannchen by Lovis Corinth
Lovis Corinth painted this portrait of his student and wife-to-be during a beach vacation on the Baltic coast. It contains a secret romantic message.
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Sabbath by Jankel Adler
Jankel Adler's painting Sabbath shows a parlor scene on the weekly day of rest. But the artist has not depicted the festive, pleasurable moment of welcoming the Shabbat.
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Girl Walking by Elisabeth Wolff
The sculpture by Elisabeth Wolff was a trophy at the first sporting festival held by the Reich Committee for Jewish Youth Associations, in 1934. The artwork has only been entrusted to our collection for safekeeping.
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Self-Portrait with Straw Hat by Max Liebermann
In this late self-portrait, the artist presents himself as bourgeois in a dark suit and a Panama hat. Two years after his eightieth birthday, he painted himself here with a touch of resignation and melancholy.
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S. Adam Advertising Poster by Louis Oppenheim
With this poster by the well-known graphic artist Louis Oppenheim, the S. Adam clothing store advertised its products to male and female sports enthusiasts in 1908.
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Passage through the Red Sea by Jakob Steinhardt
This woodcut by Jakob Steinhardt illustrates a 1920s Haggadah. The people barely escaped with their lives—as is revealed in the expression on Moses’ face.