EN

Lotte Frank - Witt

Lotte Witt was a sister-in-law of Otto Frank.

Person

  • Anna Charlotte Frank - Witt
  • Born on: Aug. 26, 1900
  • Born in: Maagdenburg, Duitsland
  • Died on: Aug. 6, 1974
  • Died in: Londen, Groot-Brittannië

Anna Charlotte (Lotte/Lotti) Witt was married to Robert Hermann Frank, an older brother of Otto Frank.

She was a daughter of Gustav Heinrich Witt and Elise Witt — Wesarg, and had two sisters: Paula (1907) Anneliese Olga (1916).[1] Her father was a policeman, and the non-Jewish Lotte herself worked at the Ricard art gallery as Robert's secretary. Apparently, her future mother-in-law Alice Frank was initially opposed to the marriage.[2]

Her marriage to Robert Hermann Frank took place on 1 July 1922.[3] When the Frank family successively left Frankfurt around 1933, she and her husband went to London. There they lived in Westminster and Kensington and lived through the Blitz and the further bombing during the Second World War.

After the death of her husband, her brother-in-law Otto supported her with small amounts of money. Between the summer of 1954 and the autumn of 1956 this amounted to three gifts of 50 pounds.[4]

On 28 March 1972, she drew up her will.[5] On her death in 1974, Lotti left two paintings "in memory of her husband Robert Frank" to the Tate Gallery in London. These were two parts of a triptych by John Martin, 'The Last Judgement' and 'The Plains of Heaven'.[6] The Tate Gallery had already owned the third part, 'The Great Day of his Wrath', since 1945, so the triptych was now complete again. In 2011-2012 the triptych was part of an exhibition about Martin.[7]

Lotti Frank's estate included another several dozen paintings, some by Martin and some by painters from his 'school'.[8]

Source personal data.[3][9] Addresses: Ffm; 1B King Street, St. James Square, London SW1 (Westminster).

Footnotes

  1. ^ Zie https://www.ancestry.ca/genealogy/records/elise-wesarg-24-zsm2j3 (geraadpleegd 20 augustus 2020).
  2. ^ Carol Ann Lee, The hidden life of Otto Frank, Londen: Penguin Books, 2003, p. 21.
  3. a, b Huwelijksindex Hessen, 1849 – 1931 op www.myheritage.com (geraadpleegd 20 augustus 2020).
  4. ^ Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), reg. code OFA_071: Otto Frank aan Lotte Frank - Witt, 6 juli 1961.
  5. ^ Jersey Archive, St. Helier (UK), Principal Registry of the Family Division, D/Y/B1/216/34: testament A.C. Witt, weduwe van R. Frank (kopie).
  6. ^ Zie https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/martin-the-last-judgement-t01927, en https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/martin-the-plains-of-heaven-t01928 (geraadpleegd 20 augustus 2020).
  7. ^ Zie https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/john-martin-apocalypse (geraadpleegd 20 augustus 2020).
  8. ^ Anne Frank Fonds (AFF), Bazel, Familienarchiv, reg. code FEFA_StE_bdoc_007: Lijst ‘24/2380 Mrs. A.C. Frank deceased’.
  9. ^ AFS, AFC Otto Frank Archief (OFA), reg. code OFA_031: agenda 1974, 6 augustus.