Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
April 2017
Beer mug of the North German Lloyd from 1967
Historical context
Beer has long been a national drink for Germans. In 2015 and 2016, it ranked first in their preferred alcoholic beverages according to statistical surveys. This was no different in the 19th century, and this preference for ‘the cool blonde’ accompanied German emigrants on their way to the USA. With the founding of breweries like Anheuser-Busch (1852, St. Louis) or Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company (1858, Milwaukee), they established a significant place in the American beer industry. Pubs and beer gardens opened in all German neighborhoods; in Cincinnati alone, there were around 2,000 such establishments in 1860. However, the German attitude towards alcohol consumption often led to conflicts with morally strict Americans, who fought against drinking, particularly on Sundays. Many German-Americans perceived the Volstead Act, which implemented Prohibition in 1919, as a discriminatory, anti-German measure.
Short biography
We do not know much about the former owner of this beer mug: he was a young man who wanted to earn ‘good money’ in the USA. In 1967, the job seeker boards the passenger ship ‘Bremen’ in Bremerhaven and sets off for New York. As a reminder of this journey, he keeps the drinking vessel adorned with the coat of arms of the North German Lloyd. When he eventually returns to Germany in later years, the beer mug is also in his luggage.
Significance of the object
Its significance as a museum object related to migration history is primarily explained as a piece of remembrance: The former emigrant has kept the jug as a memento of his significant step and the associated hopes. At the same time, the drinking vessel recalls the Norddeutscher Lloyd, the once largest North German shipping company for emigrant transport. The tableware specifically produced for the shipping company served as a marketing tool.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de