APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – The History Museum at the Castle showcases the designs of Hedy Strnad, a woman who died in the Holocaust.

“Stitching History from the Holocaust” is an exhibit that started at the Jewish Museum in Milwaukee in 2018 and was brought to Appleton just last week.

When Hedy and her husband, Paul, planned to leave Nazi Germany, they wrote a letter to a relative in Milwaukee. Along with the letter were sketches of Hedy’s designs. The Strnad’s hoped that if they arrived to the U.S., they would earn money off clothes.

The letter and the sketches were recovered and given to the Jewish Museum, Milwaukee Repertory Theater brought Hedy’s designs to life.

History Museum at the Castle Chief Curator Dustin Mack says, “We hope that by telling this story it not only personalizes the story of the Holocaust, but it demonstrates the lives that were lost and their talents.”

The exhibit is available to tour through January 2023. For more information about the exhibit, click here.