American Relief Administration, European Children's Fund Collection
name: label: Creator
content: American Relief Administration. European Children's Fund
place: label: Place
content: Austria
topic: label: Topic
content: Children -- Austria
label: Topic
content: Humanitarian assistance -- 1920-1930 -- Austria
label: Topic
content: Relief and volunteer organizations -- 1920-1930 -- Austria
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated to the United States National Museum by the American Relief Administration, through Mr. Messerole on February 6, 1922.
creator: label: Creator
content: American Relief Administration. European Children's Fund
setName: label: See more items in
content: American Relief Administration, European Children's Fund Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: The collection consists of photographs and printed materials (almost exclusively in German), documenting the relief efforts of the American Relief Administration (A.R.A.), European Children's Fund (E.C.F.) (Mission to Austria), 1920-1921, to feed malnourished children in Europe in the post-World War I era. The photographs, publications and charts in this collection specifically relate to children in Vienna and other Austrian cities.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The American Relief Administration (A.R.A.) was formed by the United States Congress in 1919 as a relief mission to Europe after World War I. Herbert Hoover, future president of the United States, was the program director.  A humanitarian organization, A.R.A. was tasked with alleviating the suffering of European children in the years after World War I. 

In 1919, a special Children's Relief Bureau was organized within the A.R.A.  Many European children being cared for were orphans, and many had suffered malnourishment during the war. Hoover insisted that aid be provided to them. Although the new A.R.A. European Children's Fund (E.C.F) was an outgrowth of the A.R.A. which acted as an agent of the United States government, the  European Children's Fund was a private volunteer organization for the promotion of charitable causes. While the E.C.F. did not have a formal charter, the food supplies were donated from the Congressional appropriation and the president's National Security and Defense Fund. The E.C.F. operated for five years, from 1919 to 1924. It was headquartered in New York City with a branch  office in London and began operations in August, 1919. Field missions were located in Finland, Estonia, northwest Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia.  The E.C.F. relied heavily upon the assistance and cooperation of other organizations such as the European Relief Council, Red Cross, American Friends Service Committee, and  the Y.M.C.A.  A system of central and regional warehouses was maintained .  Children needing aid met the following requirements: registration through a school, investigation by a local committee, and a physical examination by a local physician. All feeding of children was done in special kitchens setup at institutions, orphanages, or hospitals.  In most countries a noonday meal was served and every child was issued a card which was punched for each meal received. 

Child-feeding programs in Austria began on May 5, 1919.  The method for feeding and selecting children in Austria was developed by Dr. Clemens von Pirquet (1874-1929) of Vienna University Children's Hospital. Pirquent's method was known as the Pelidisi formula which is the ratio between the sitting height and the weight of the child. The Pelidisi norm was expressed as 100, but with children it was 94.5 since they did not carry as much fat.  Children with a Pelidisi of 94 were considered underfed and those under 93 were admitted to a feeding center immediately. Examinations of children were repeated at frequent intervals.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.3 Cubic feet (1 box, 1 oversize folder)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1919 - 1921
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Originally housed in the United States National Museum, Arts and Industries Building, Division of Foods. The original accession number was 67854. The collection was transferred to the Archives Center in 2010 by the Division of Work and Industry.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1199
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pamphlets
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is divided into two series.

Series 1, Photographs, 1920-1921

Series 2, Printed Materials and Charts, 1919-1921
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2012.
bibliography: label: Bibliography
content: Hoover, Herbert.  -- An American Epic. Volume: 3 -- . Chicago: H. Regnery Company, 1959. 

Surface, Frank M. and Raymond l. Bland.  -- American Food in the World War and Reconstruction Period. Operations of the the Organizations under the Direction of Herbert Hoover, 1914 to 1924 -- . Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1931.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Pamphlets
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 1920-1930
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection consists of photographs and printed materials (all in German), documenting the efforts of the American Relief Administration, European Children's Fund (Mission to Austria), to feed malnourished children in Europe in the post-World War I era. The photographs, publications and charts in this collection specifically relate to children in Vienna and other Austrian cities.

Series 1, Photographs, 1920-1921, consists of black and white copy prints documenting children being fed or playing, kitchen scenes, and dormitory scenes throughout Austria.  There are two images depicting the Pedilisi score for two unidentified boys. Some of the prints are captioned. 

Series 2, Printed Materials and Charts, 1919-1921, includes writings by Clemens Peter Freiherr von Pirquet (1874--929) an Austrian scientist and pediatrician best known for his contributions to the fields of bacteriology and immunology. Pirquet worked with the American Relief Administration, European Children's Fund in Austria and developed the Pedilisi method of determining a child's level of malnourishment.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Materials at Other Organizations

Hoover Institution Archives, Stanford University

Register of the American Relief Administration. European Operations Records, 1919-1923