Fonds BC695 - Louis Herrman Papers

Reference code

ZA UCT BC695

Title

Louis Herrman Papers

Date(s)

  • 1883-1970 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

4239 items

Name of creator

(1883-1980)

Biographical history

Louis Herrman was born in Southampton, England on 11 October 1883 and died in Cape Town, South Africa in 1980, aged 97 years. He was the son of Isaac Herrman, a draper, and Bertha Rachel Herrman formerly Silverman. After qualifying as a schoolmaster at the Hartley University College, Southampton in 1905 and teaching in that city for two years, he came to South Africa as Vice Principal of the Hopemill Hebrew Public School in Cape Town. When Hopemill went out of existence, he was English master At Cape Town High School from 1921 1930, graduating M.A. (with distinction in Zoology) at the University of Cape Town in 1928. He obtained his doctorate in 1932 at London University, for research into the Genetic Status of Intelligence in Twins and subsequently was appointed Principal of Cape Town High School, from which post he retired on pension in 1943. For nearly 40 years more he was active as a lecturer, broadcaster and writer. Among his other activities he was Literary Secretary to the International University Society and Examiner in English for the Joint Matriculation Board. Dr. Herrman had an encyclopaedic knowledge and his mastery of the English Language and the diversity of his interests is evident in the leading articles he wrote for the Cape Times from 1933 1940, articles for various publications and in the subjects of his lectures. Many of his contributions can be found in the Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, the Dictionary of South African Biography and the Oxford English Dictionary. Eminent South Africans he counted among his friends included Olive Schreiner, Sarah Gertrude Millin, Moses Kottler and Irma Stern. Dr. Herrman's second wife Lea, whom he married after the death of his wife Ethel, Lea's sister, died in 1976. Miss Zelda Friedlander, his sister in law, looked after him in his later years.

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Scope and content

The Louis Herrman Papers were donated to the University of Cape Town Libraries in 1981 by Mrs. B.M. Horwitz and number 4247 items. Dr. Herrman was an educationist, scientist, writer and broadcaster and during his long, productive life, was the author of many scientific, literary and historical works, including "A History of the Jews in South Africa", "The Intellectual Resemblance of Twins" and "In the Sealed Cavea Scientific Fantasy". The Collection includes personal pepers, correspondence, Louis Herrman's interests, among which were the Alfred Rowing Club, The Owl Club, The P.E.N. Club and others, school and family photographs, pamphlets and periodicals in wlich his articles appeared, newspaper cuttings. The largest section (D) consists of L.H.'s writings which are listed D1.1.1‑ D1.1.25, an important part of the writings being those on Jewish subjectspeople, customs, history etc., which culminated in his major work "A History of the Jews in South Africa". He also collected articles by other writers on Jewish subjects, some of which cover the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany. In addition, there is extensive material on Nathaniel Isaacs, trader and explorer in Natal in the early 1800's and Joshua Abraham Norton ('Emperor Norton I of America') an eccentric character of the mid 1800's.

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Conditions governing access

No restrictions apply

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

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Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Only a high level description of this collection is currently maintained in AtoM. For a detailed list of contents, see http://atom.lib.uct.ac.za/pdfs/BC695.pdf

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Dates of creation revision deletion

2013

Language(s)

  • English

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Physical location

  • Shelf: 68b