Mary Wooster (née Mitzi Springer), b. May 23, 1886 Paris; d. 1979 Paris was an Austrian heiress from a leading family persecuted by the Nazis because of Jewish heritage. Twice married, she was known under several names: Marie-Cecile or Mitz, Mitzi Springer, later Mrs Frank Wooster or Mitzi Fould-Springer.[1] Her grandson, the writer David Pryce-Jones, organized his memoir, Fault Lines, around Mitzi/Mary's dramatic life.[2]
Early Life
editMitzi Springer was born into the fabulously wealthy Springer family in 1886. Her father, Gustav Springer (1842-1920) was a leading entrepreneur in the Austro-Hungarian empire, building railways in Russia, Romania and the Ottoman Empire and founding a yeast factory near Paris.[3] Her mother, Hélène Koenigswarter, died giving birth to Mitzi on May 23 1886.
Address Vienna XIII, Tivoligasse 73[4]
Wooster owned properties in Vienna I., Kärntner Ring 14, Schubertring 6 and Hegelgasse 13, in Vienna II., Praterstrasse 43, in Vienna IV., Schwindgasse 6 and Floragasse 6, in Vienna IX., Berggasse 20, in Vienna XV., Oelweingasse 9-11 and 10-16, Grimmgasse 22-24 and 26-28, Sechshauser Strasse 68-70; villa in Vienna XIII., Tivoligasse 73[5]
She collected art. The collection included works by Galleit, Diaz, Rousseau, Oppenheim, Alt, Canon, among others[6]
Nazi era
edit1938 The Wooster couple flees to Canada via France. In September 1939, Franz Eberharter was appointed as trustee for Mary Wooster's assets. In the same year, 30 objects from Mary Wooster's art collection were seized and taken into custody by the Central Office for the Protection of Monuments.[7]
Marriages
editMitzi wrote that, at seventeen, she fell in love at first sight with Eugène Fould, but due to her father's opposition was only able to marry in 1905.[8] Fould collected art, spending over 500,000 francs a year on acquisitions.
Postwar Restitutions
editIn the course of the restitution proceedings after the end of the war, Mary Wooster had several donations to public collections extorted from her in return for export permits.[9][10]
Family
editMitzi Fould-Springer was the grandmother of David Pryce-Jones who wrote a book that describes her.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Francis George Leyland Wooster". woosterfamily.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Aaronovitch, David (2015-11-10). "Mitzi, Poppy and Cousin Cuckoo". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ PRYCE-JONES, DAVID (2015). FAULT LINES. S.l.: ENCOUNTER BOOKS. ISBN 978-1-64177-159-7. OCLC 1193065397.
- ^ "Lost Art Internet Database - Jüdische Sammler und Kunsthändler (Opfer nationalsozialistischer Verfolgung und Enteignung) - Wooster, Frank". www.lostart.de. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ "Lost Art Internet Database - Jüdische Sammler und Kunsthändler (Opfer nationalsozialistischer Verfolgung und Enteignung) - Wooster, Frank". www.lostart.de. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Verfasser, Lillie, Sophie 1970-. Was einmal war Handbuch der enteigneten Kunstsammlungen Wiens. ISBN 978-3-7076-0049-0. OCLC 231981591.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Verfasser, Lillie, Sophie 1970-. Was einmal war Handbuch der enteigneten Kunstsammlungen Wiens. ISBN 978-3-7076-0049-0. OCLC 231981591.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ PRYCE-JONES, DAVID (2015). FAULT LINES. S.l.: ENCOUNTER BOOKS. ISBN 978-1-64177-159-7. OCLC 1193065397.
- ^ Verfasser, Lillie, Sophie 1970-. Was einmal war Handbuch der enteigneten Kunstsammlungen Wiens. ISBN 978-3-7076-0049-0. OCLC 231981591.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Lost Art Internet Database - Jüdische Sammler und Kunsthändler (Opfer nationalsozialistischer Verfolgung und Enteignung) - Wooster, Frank". www.lostart.de. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Aaronovitch, David (2015-11-10). "Mitzi, Poppy and Cousin Cuckoo". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
The book, though chronological, is assembled around the central figure of Mitzi Fould-Springer, the author's maternal grandmother. Mitzi (1886-1978), born von Springer, was brought up virtually alone in an enormous palace in Vienna and married the French-Jewish banking heir Eugène (later Baron) Fould. Although Mitzi did not know it when she married him, according to Mr. Pryce-Jones, Eugène was almost certainly homosexual, one of his partners being a handsome Briton called Frank Wooster.