This research project examines the many sponsorships and donations by Jews, which were particularly common in the 19th century. The philanthropy and patronage of the arts by Vienna's Jews reflect an attempt to win the approval of bourgeois society through social awareness. The project focuses not only on large and well-publicised donations but also on the numerous small and less significant gifts that permitted many social institutions to survive.
The conditions attached to the donations give an insight into the institutions and persons that the donors thought worthy of assistance, in other words how they appraised the social conditions of the time. This is particularly evident in donations for specific professional groups, company donations and those for needy dependants.

Information:INJOEST

We thank the Austrian National Bank Jubilee Foundation Fund for its support.