Klaus Frank papers

The Klaus Frank papers consists of a passport belonging to Klaus Frank for his immigration to Israel; a death certificate for Nanette August, the maternal grandmother of Klaus Frank; a banknote from Theresienstadt; a German banknote; a photograph of Klaus Frank after his release from the Sachsenhausen concentration camp; a photograph of Klaus Frank with his cousin, Larry; a sketchbook of Klaus Frank’s drawings of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp and Copenhagen, Denmark; and seventy-three original cartoons created by Klaus Frank while he served as a staff artist at the newspaper, La Nacion, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Klaus Frank (1921-2005) was born on March 30, 1921 in Dortmund, Germany. In 1934, his father Richard was arrested by the Nazis because he served as an election overseer for the Social Democratic party in Dortmund. He was eventually released. On November 9, 1938, Kristallnacht, Klaus Frank, age seventeen, was arrested. He was held as a hostage pending the arrest of his father who had travelled to the Netherlands for the day. The next day, Klaus and his father were sent by train to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Klaus, along with his father and a cousin were assigned to the tailor shop where they sewed identification patches on uniforms. After five weeks, Klaus, his father, and cousin were released after Klaus’ paternal aunt Martha, who lived in Copenhagen, obtained their release, possibly through a bribe. The family lived in Denmark for three months before immigrating to the Dominican Republic with Klaus’ mother and another aunt. While in Santo Domingo, Klaus Frank worked as a political cartoonist for the newspaper, La Nacion, from 1939-1947. He also owned his own commercial art studio. In 1946, he met and married Eva (1926-2007). In 1947, the Klaus and Eva Frank immigrated to the United States. They had four children. In Kansas City he established a commercial design studio, K. Frank Display Company. Klaus Frank died on November 27, 2005 in Missouri.