"but of course it is all a big question of $$$$$$'s"
Small archive of an Aramco employee.
3 typed letters signed and 1 autograph letter, a passport, and an air freight manifest.
€ 2,800.00
Compelling archive of the Aramco employee Paul Schwarzenau (1916-92), who joined the Aramco "family" at Dhahran around April 1952. The archive comprises three letters to his mother describing his life in the Middle East, praising his new job with Aramco: "How lucky can i get? All this and a salary too! Ah yes, this is real living although i still can't understand why it should happen to a bum like me!". The remaining correspondence is written in a slightly more critical tone, speaking of an invasion of locusts and the difficulties raised by the language barrier, as well as working obligations during the month of Ramadan, suggesting "the company should abolish all daytime work during this month but of course it is all a big question of $$$$$$'s and the oil has to be kept moving regardless of any attempts, man-made or god-made, to interrupt the flow".
The passport is packed with entrance visa stamps of his trips to Aramco facilities in the Middle East. It also documents a change of name from "Schwarzenau" to "Stiehl".
In addition, the set includes an air freight manifest for a box of personal effects Schwarzenau had shipped from Dhahran to New York. The document includes a customs clearance authorization as well as a specification of the contents of the box, which contained 4 prayer rugs, 12 towels, and 5 bed sheets.
A unique ensemble. Detailed list available on request.
