Personal Narrative 3D Object Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Mimi Lesser Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Location of Service: Germany; Czechoslovakia; Paris, France; New York
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/11904
In 1944, New York commercial artist Mimi Korach decided to do her part for the war effort by volunteering to work in a Merchant Seamen's Club, sketching portraits of lonely servicemen. A USO official suggested she go to local veterans hospitals to create sketches of patients that could be mailed to their distant families. Her next stop was a two-year tour of duty doing the same in Europe for GIs recuperating in evacuation hospitals. Korach, a short, dark-haired woman, teamed with another artist, Ann, a taller blonde (they were nicknamed "Blondie and Blackie"), traveling around Europe even after the fighting stopped. They sketched hundreds of servicemen as well as street scenes in occupied Germany and other devastated countries.
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About this Item
Title
- Mimi Lesser Collection
Names
- Lesser, Mimi
State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation
- New York (State)
Headings
- - Lesser, Mimi
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United Service Organizations (USO) -- Personal Narratives
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Female
Status
- civilian
Service History
-
World War, 1939-1945
- Location of Service: Germany; Czechoslovakia; Paris, France; New York
- Military Status: civilian
Materials
- Manuscript: Creative works [2 items] -- Handwritten document (collected 1945-08-09)
- Manuscript: Correspondence [60 items] -- (collected 1945-1947)
- Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- (collected 1945-09)
- Manuscript: Mixed (Multiple types of manuscripts) [3 items] -- (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Memoir [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Correspondence [1 item] -- (collected 1942-1943)
- Artifact: Artifact [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
- Photograph: Original photographic print [690 items] -- Photographs (collected 1944-1946)
- Photograph: Original photographic print [6 items] -- Photographs (collected 1945)
- Photograph: Original photographic print [34 items] -- Photographs (collected 1945)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/11904
Online Format
- image
Additional Metadata Formats
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Part of
Special Format
Wars & Conflicts
Location of Service
Highest Rank
Discharge Status
Gender
State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation
Interviewee
Featured in
Rights & Access
Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition
The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.
Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.
As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.
Please contact us with questions.
Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials
In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.
Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.
Citing VHP Materials
Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).
Materials as a whole:
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Manuscript material:
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Recording:
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Photograph:
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Computer file:
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Artifact:
- John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Cite This Item
Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.
Chicago citation style:
Lesser, Mimi. Mimi Lesser Collection. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.11904/.
APA citation style:
Lesser, M. Mimi Lesser Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.11904/.
MLA citation style:
Lesser, Mimi. Mimi Lesser Collection. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.11904/>.