Bidspirit auction | Anna Samuel – Two Hand-Painted

Anna Samuel – Two Hand-Painted Postcards | Germany, Late 19th – Early 20th Century - Watercolor and gouache on original postal postcards Anna Samuel (née Friedländer) was a recognized Jewish German painter, active independently in Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her works are documented and are still held today in collections and institutions in Germany. She was the wife of Dr. Samuel, rabbi of the Jewish community in Essen, and the mother of four children, among them the artists Eva (Chava) Samuel and Edith Samuel. She perished in the Theresienstadt Ghetto on October 10, 1942. A pair of hand-painted postal postcards by Anna Samuel, dating from an early phase of her artistic activity, years before the birth of her daughters. The postcards reflect an independent and mature painterly practice in a distinctly European style, and demonstrate the use of the postcard as an artistic surface rather than merely a means of correspondence. Postcard I – Sent by Mail Official Deutsche Reichspost postcard Bearing an original postage stamp and postal cancellation Sent to her husband, Dr. Samuel, in Essen, Germany Illustrated side: a soft pastoral landscape – rolling hills, a line of trees, rural buildings, and a stream Text side: a lengthy handwritten text in German, largely illegible; the signature is not conclusively readable This postcard combines an autonomous landscape painting with actual postal use – a practice known among European artists around 1900. Postcard II – Unsent Hand-painted postcard that was not mailed Depicts a tower-like building or castle with a flag, set within a green landscape Signed in the lower right corner with the initials “A. S.” Without stamp, postal markings, or address Appears to have been created for the act of painting itself, rather than for correspondence. Technique and Style Watercolor and gouache on printed postcard paper Free and confident brushwork, landscape built through color patches Restrained palette and a European style typical of the period A practiced painterly hand, indicating training and familiarity with established pictorial traditions Condition Paper with age toning, age spots, and natural wear Overall condition: good to good-minus Authentic patina consistent with age and use