An early colour Judaica postcard commemorating Sir Moses Montefiore (1784–1885), one of the most celebrated Jewish philanthropists and communal leaders of the 19th century. The front features a colourful central portrait of Moses Montefiore, surrounded by an elaborate decorative composition incorporating heraldic, literary and allegorical elements. His name, “Moses Montefiore, ” appears prominently above the portrait. Printed beneath: “Sir Moses Montefiore. geboren 24. Oct. 1784; gestorben 28. Juli 1885.” The card was published in Cologne by Verlag von Max Victor, Köln, whose imprint appears along the lower margin. The postcard was mailed in Vienna and bears an Austrian postage stamp and a WIEN postmark dated 13 September 1891, only six years after Sir Moses Montefiore's death in 1885. This relatively early date adds further interest to the card as an early commemorative Montefiore Judaica item and as a piece of late 19th-century European Jewish postal history. Sir Moses Montefiore, a British Jew of Sephardic origin, devoted much of his long life to philanthropy and the protection of Jewish communities throughout the world. He made repeated journeys to the Holy Land and became particularly associated with the development of the Jewish community in Jerusalem, including Mishkenot Sha'ananim and the celebrated windmill that continues to bear his name. The card reflects Montefiore's extraordinary place in Jewish collective memory decades after his death. Its actual postal use in Vienna adds interest both as Judaica and as a piece of Austrian-Jewish postal history.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art