Collection comprising over forty letters handwritten by members of the Josephus Jitta family, a prominent Jewish family of jewel and diamond merchants from Amsterdam; many letters were written by the father of the family Nata son of Yosef Bamberg. [Amsterdam and elsewhere, 1810s-1820s (a few letters are later)]. Yiddish (with some Hebrew, Dutch and German).
Variegated correspondence, combining business and family life: trade and diamonds, financial ties between European commercial centers, engagements and marriages, birthday blessings and constant reports on the family's welfare.
The collection includes letters from other family members, including Nata's sons – Wolf, Charlotta, Henrietta, his daughter-in-law Agatha (née Cohen), and some grandsons and relatives. Most of the letters are addressed to his son Wolf Josephus Jitta at business in London and the Leipzig fair. Some leaves include additional letters of the family written on the same leaf.
The collection also includes letters by Dutch Jewish merchants, including Nathan Daniel Cohen Bessie of Amsterdam, Yaakov Coerlander of the Hague, letters from Rotterdam and more. Two later letters (1849) from family members in Amsterdam and Emden (Germany), relating to inheritances.
The present collection is a rare documentation of a Jewish family in Amsterdam in the first half of the 19th century, reflecting a wide range of business and private affairs. The letters shed light on daily life and international trade among the Jews of Western Europe at the time.
Nata son of Yosef (1739-1828), born in Bamberg, Germany, immigrated to Amsterdam in 1779. A merchant of jewelry and art, he was a central figure in the Ashkenazic community in Amsterdam. In 1812 he officially adopted the surname Jitta. His son, Wolf Josephus Jitta (1793-1850), expanded the family's business and developed ties to royalty. In 1848 he was appointed court smith (hofjuwelier) of King William II.
He was also active in promoting education and emancipation. Later generations of the family found their way to the Dutch intellectual elite; his grandsons included Prof. Daniel Josephus Jitta (1854-1925), international law expert and member of the Council of State; Dr. Nicolaas Josephus Jitta (1858-1940), head of the Health Council of the Netherlands; and Annie Nicolette Zadoks-Josephus Jitta, archeologist and art historian.
Over 40 letters (many include additional letters). Varying size and condition. Tears and defects to some letters. Wax seals.
