Sachs, Hans, 1881-1974

Josef Wilhelm Sachs (1816-1879) was born in Wesenburg/Mecklenburg. In 1844, he married Friedericke Neufeldt . He moved to Breslau in 1863 and became the Hofzahnarzt (court dentist) for the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg. His son Wilhelm Sachs (1849-1929) was born in Wesenburg/Mecklenburg. He studied dentistry in the United States in the early 1870s, at the Philadelphia Dental College, and subsequently returned to Europe and settled in Breslau. He became one of the best-known dentists of his time. Hans J. Sachs (1881-1974), son of Wilhelm Sachs and Amelie Kuttner Sachs (1861?-1907), was born in Breslau. Like his father and grandfather before him, he also studied dentistry, receiving his doctorate from Freiburg in 1904. In 1938, he left Germany for the United States. Hans was also a serious collector of printed posters, before the war amassing the largest such collection in the world. The posters were seized by the Nazis after Sachs emigrated, and he believed them destroyed by bombing during the war. In the late 1960s, however, parts of the collection were found.

From the guide to the Hans J. Sachs Collection, 1844-1974, (Leo Baeck Institute)