Van Gogh

During the last century, Hirschlands owned a number of Van Goghs.  Over time, they were sold or donated to museums. As one family member said, “I know that various family members sold art at auctions either because they had capital needs or keeping the art became very costly. Just insuring a valuable work today can cost tens of thousands per annum.”

This site has attracted the attention of authors and museums with questions about work formerly owned by Hrrschlands. One author, working on a catalog of Van Gogh work, has connected all the art below to the Hirschland family. To our knowledge, none of these works are still owned by family members. Most are in museums.

Hirschland Art

By Victoria Hess  — Posted Feb. 9, 2011

When I was a child, my mother used to take me regularly into New York City to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was fascinated, when  as she pointed out to me as we walked up the grand staircase to the second floor painting galleries, that my grandparents’ names were carved into the walls of that staircase. I never learned what they gave to the museum to deserve such recognition, but it must have been big to be carved in stone: smaller gifts, I knew, such as one by our father, merited smaller recognition, like life-time memberships. A search of the MMA database shows 102 items under the name Hirschland. Continue Reading

Harrison: Tarantara

By Victoria Hess and Joan Meijer — Added January 10, 2011

For the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of  the Isaac Hirschland line, the house that Franz and Gula Hirschland built on Kenilworth Road in Harrison, NY, was the center of a universe. The 22-room mansion in this tony part of Westchester County had rolling green lawns, an apple orchard, a tennis court, a lily pond, and stately old-world charm. It was where our grandparents lived out their lives, and many family members who fled Germany came to start theirs again in the United States. The family stayed close, with many settling nearby, and even those who left returning to visit until both Gonnie and Papa were gone. Continue Reading

Reunion possiblities

Hirschland Family circa 1870. Isaac Hirschland highlighted? (Possibly Isaac's and Heniette's 50th Anniversary.)

Since I sent an email out to family yesterday about this new blog, I have received a number of emails about possible reunions. We do have a page with some small reunion photos, but most people are looking for something bigger.

Our cousin Richard Harvey writes:

“For some time I have been wondering if there is interest in a re-union of Hirschlands in Essen – it would take a year or so to plan. Is anyone interested, perhaps for 2014?” Continue Reading