Prayer Book Bag
date: label: Date made
content: ca 1810 - 1825
name: label: user
content: Roth Schild, Lazurus
notes: label: Description
content: When traveling a long distance, one often must travel light. This small prayer bag, used to hold a Jewish prayer book, was the choice of one German immigrant. The drawstring leather pouch, measuring 6-3/4" x 6-3/8", is covered with multicolored beadwork in floral and geometric patterns and bears the initials "L.R.S.," for Lazarus Roth Schild. The bag was made for him as an engagement present between 1810 and1825, then given to his son, about to depart for St. Louis, Missouri. Like many immigrants to America from the 1830s to the mid-19th century, the owner of this prayer bag had no choice but to leave his country of origin. He wanted to marry, but in some German municipalities, no Jews were allowed to marry unless there was proof that another Jewish community member had died. Other regions had laws requiring that Jewish families keep a Matrikel, or list of "all legally permitted families," and prohibited others from living there. One German publication noted in 1839 that the laws "make it little short of impossible for young Israelites to set up housekeeping in Bavaria; often their head is adorned with gray hair before they receive permission to set up house and can, therefore, think of marriage."
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: Germany
topic: label: Subject
content: Judaism
label: Subject
content: Immigration
label: Subject
content: Prayer
label: Subject
content: Family
label: Subject
content: Weddings
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Religion
label: See more items in
content: Religion
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Grossman, Grace Cohen, with Richard Eighme Ahlborn. Judaica at the Smithsonian: Cultural Politics as Cultural Model
label: Related Publication
content: Myers, Susan H.. The Promise of a New Life: Jewish Immigrants in America, 1820-1880
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Louis S. Rothschild
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CL.61.0367
label: accession number
content: 235938
label: catalog number
content: 61.0367
objectType: label: Object Name
content: bag
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: skin, leather (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (beads material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 3/4 in x 6 3/8 in; 17.145 cm x 16.1925 cm