13. Miscellaneous Formats, 1809-1933, undated

The William A. Rosenthall Judaica Collection is comprised primarily of postcards, prints and posters, periodicals, clippings, philatelic materials, greeting cards, medals, subject files, and collecting files. The collection also includes ephemera, photographs, textiles, stereoscopes, calendars, and other miscellaneous formats. These materials document the history, religious practices, customs, and daily life of Jewish communities around the world. Collection materials originate from every continent except Antarctica, include over a dozen languages, and span five centuries.

Each of the topics represented in the William A. Rosenthall Judaica Collection can be found in both iconographic and textual materials across a wide array of formats. These materials depict spaces and scenes of Jewish religious life, such as synagogue architecture and services, holiday celebrations, and prayer and rituals. The collection portrays ceremonies pertaining to the Jewish life cycle, including birth, circumcision, bar mitzvah, marriage, and death and mourning, in both the synagogue and the home. Scenes of Jewish daily life can be found in images of Jewish institutions and charities, Jewish neighborhoods, ghettos, and marketplaces, and depictions of common Jewish professions and Jewish clothing and dress. The collection also contains images of landmarks in Palestine and Israel, including the tombs of prominent figures in Jewish history; cemeteries and tombs in North America, Europe, and North Africa; and portraits of many prominent Jewish figures-academics, artists, authors, bankers, military leaders, musicians, philosophers, philanthropists, politicians, rabbis, and Zionists. Illustrations of biblical figures and scenes round out the iconographic portion of the collection.

Periodicals and clippings provide additional documentation of significant Jewish communal events, such as weddings, funerals, synagogue consecrations, organization fundraisers and fairs, and social activities. The subject of antisemitism is represented through both text and caricatures in periodicals and clippings, as well as throughout the iconographic portions of the collection through caricatures and images of persecution and exile, which are often accompanied by scenes of emigration.

Besides Judaica materials, the collection contains records documenting Rosenthall's collecting efforts, including extensive correspondence with dealers, galleries, and fellow Judaica collectors, as well as invoices and shipping documents for purchases. These records provide insight into the time that Rosenthall invested in amassing his collection and reflect his expressed desire that it provide the most broad and comprehensive view of Jewish life possible. Exhibits and publications featuring portions of the collection are also documented through correspondence, loan agreements, and clippings.