the Breman Museum, we are hosting a pop-up exhibition made by the Shared History Project that documents over 1,700 years of Jewish people in German-speaking countries. The photo gallery highlights stories of hope, joy, and triumph, but it will only be here for the next couple of weeks, so make sure to see it while you can next time you visit the museum!
One of the featured objects in the exhibit we’ll be highlighting today is this dress worn by Marie Barkany during a production of Maria Stuart. Barkany was an Austrian-Jewish actress, born in 1852, and she began her performing career in Vienna when she was fifteen. The theater was one of the few professional career paths that did not exclude Jewish people, and Barkany could work with other Jewish actors such as Adolf Sonnenthal and Ludwig Barnay. Barkany’s heritage made her divisive among critics: while her "exotic" beauty enthralled many, others believed that Jewish women were little more than superficial, shallow creatures. Nevertheless, Barkany was famous for talents that extended beyond her appearance, like her flawless German pronunciation while leading classic German plays.