This object was my great grandmother, Gigi’s, wardrobe she bought in 1939, to celebrate her recent marriage to my great grandfather, George. This wardrobe was bought in a set of furniture that included essentially every other piece of furniture in their house, costing the young couple just under 2000 thousand dollars in today's money. These pieces have since been meticulously maintained and passed down throughout generations of my family, serving a functional role in all my family's households. This economical approach of my great grandmother was likely due to her family's suffering in the depression and struggle to immigrate to America. Gigi’s parents made a drastic change in there life, moving from Northern Germany to New Jersey in the late 1910s, however, due to ongoing American- German conflicts, American xenophobia and growing radicalism in Germany my great great grandparents did there very best to conceal their identity from the public eye, rarely ever speaking German, refusing to teach Gigi German and making a great effort to assimilate into American culture. This was successful for some time, climbing there way to the upper middle class by the mid 1920s, however this good fortune would come crashing down in the great depression, unsettling this already insecure family, sending them into severe financial hardships that would permanently mold the perspective and behavior of Gigi who, was perhaps, most significantly impacted by these hardships, ultimately shaping her outlook and experiences throughout her life.

– James Ehrich

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more