Images(2)

Samovar

Object number2014.53.1 a-c

Date1942

MediumBrass/Wood

Credit LineGift of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

DescriptionBrass samovar body with base, urn, two side handles with wooden grips, and spout. The sides are straight and the bottom of the urn curves in. The base rests on four feet and is a square. The spout extends out from the urn horizontally and has a valve handle on the top which spins. The top of the urn has a groove running around the circumference. In the middle is a metal heating column. Interior is unfinished. Brass lid. Brass cap for lid with hole in the middle.Dimensionsa: H) 19.25" x W) 11.5" D) 14.5"
b: H) 4.0" x Diam) 10.0"
c: H) 2.5" x Diam) 5.875"
Inscriptions(b)
Engraved inscription reading "TO IRENE KAUFMANN SETTLEMENT / IN REMEMBRANCE OF MANY HAPPY OCCASIONS / FROM SIDNEY AND JULIA TELLER / 1916-1942".

Historical NotesBrass samovar given as a gift to the Irene Kaufmann Settlement House by Sidney and Julia Teller. It is marked with the dates 1916-1942. Sidney Teller was the IKS's first executive director from 1916 to 1942. His assistant was his wife, Julia Pines Teller. In 1909, the Columbian School and Settlement, an organization that helped new Jewish immigrants in the community, accepted a gift from Henry and Theresa Kaufmann who had recognized the increasing need for larger facilities and a professional staff. They endowed the Irene Kaufmann Settlement in memory of their daughter. The settlement was built close to downtown in the center of Pittsburgh's Hill District, an area in which immigrants lived on arrival in the city. In addition to their gift of $150,000 that paid for the construction of a new building on Centre Avenue, the Kaufmanns created an endowment of $40,000, to which they added later. In 1911, the IKS was dedicated. The IKS served the immigrant community in the Hill District with no restrictions related to race or religion. The IKS offered nursing services, Better Baby Clinics, prenatal care, free milk for school-age children, and free kindergartens. The IKS was responsible for starting the Pittsburgh Visiting Nurse Service. The work done by the IKS during the flu pandemic and through medical inspection of city schools was recognized to benefit the entire community. Classes were offered to aid in Americanization and to teach music, art, and drama. In 1926, there were over 100 clubs for various interest groups sponsored by the IKS, with an aggregate attendance of 24,000. As earlier immigrants became acculturated, they moved eastward out of the Hill District.

Related person Julia Pines Teller

Related person Sidney Teller

Related institution Irene Kauffmann Settlement (Founded 1911)

Previous owner Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

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