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Stella Hrubesch Papers

An inventory of her papers and collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: Paul Cohen
Date: 16 Jun 2023

Biographical History

Stella Hrubesch (1904-??) was an Austrian-American artist and designer.

Stella "Luki" Margit Abranowicz was born April 11, 1904 in Vienna, to Hermann Abranowicz and Marie Glanz, the youngest of their three daughters. Her two older sisters were Rosalie (1896) and Hedwig/Vicky (1900). Between 1920 and 1926 she attended the city's Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Arts and Crafts or School of Applied Arts) where she studied art history, technical drawing, design, and glass and textile work. She worked as a freelance designer for companies in Vienna (Enka, Trikotagen Fabrik, Tina Feldscharek) and, beginning in 1933, in England (Wolsey Limited, The Medway Knitting Company, Charles Butler, Louis Edwards & Co.) and Switzerland (W. Achtnich & Co.). In 1946 she became a British citizen. She emigrated to the United States in 1951, where she worked as a designer for at least one American firm (Schleifer-Dudkin in New York City), and eventually became a naturalized American ciitizen.

In 1930 she married Hermann Hrubesch; the marriage was dissolved four years later. She does not appear to have remarried, nor to have had any children

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Stella Hrubesch Papers consist of artwork, correspondence, legal material, photographs, and memorabilia.

Artwork contains Hrubesch's own work, mostly watercolors.

Correspondence relates primarily to her work as a designer, and includes firms in Vienna, England, Switzerland, and New York. There is a small amount of personal correspondence, including a letter from her father, and some relating to citizenship and pension.

Legal material includes birth, marriage, and divorce certificates, citizenship and travel documents, and school and work certificates.

Memorabilia includes poems by her sister, jewelry, a pair of pinking shears, and miscellaneous ephemera.

Photographs, which comprise the bulk of the collection, include Stella herself, her parents and grandparents, and extended family such as her niece Hildegarde, daughter of Rosalie. Many, but not all, are identified (e.g. "Großmütter Glanz"). The names of two aunts are written on empty envelopes.

Arrangement of the Collection

Material is arranged alphabetically by type or topic.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Hrubesch, Stella Margit.

Subjects

Austrian Americans.
Textile designers.
Women immigrants.

Places

Vienna (Austria)

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.
Legal records.
Photographs.
Watercolors.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Stella Hrubesch Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of David Sutherland, 2021, on behalf of Pei Lin Sutherland.

Table of Contents

Artwork

Correspondence

Legal material

Memorabilia

Photographs

Inventory