This wonderful collection of correspondence, fashion items, textiles, marketing pieces, personal photographs, and books was compiled over many years by Enid Klass. Ms. Klass is a former personal assistant to Mr. Stanley Marcus, former president of the luxury retailer, Neiman Marcus. Ms. Klass took a summer job at Neiman Marcus in 1951, and worked as an assistant in the Personnel Office for 2 1/2 years prior to being asked to sit in for Mr. Stanley’s personal assistant while she was away for the Christmas holiday, before being offered her position the following year when she resigned. While she stayed with the company for over four years, Enid Klass and the Marcus family maintained communications and correspondence for years to come.

In 2007, Ms. Klass was generous enough to donate her extraordinary personal collection, in memory of her parents, Joseph and Sarah Klass, and of her sisters; Freda, Lillian, and Trudy, to the Dallas Jewish Historical Society, greatly enriching our archives. The collection illustrates the fashion and culture of the 1950′s and 1960′s and provides a rare look into not only the culture of the Neiman Marcus empire, but also into the life of its best-known leader and fashion icon, Mr. Stanley Marcus.

Below are a selection of images from an exhibition inspired by the Enid Klass Collection in 2007, as well as some objects and papers within the collection. To view this collection in greater detail, please visit our online digital database–accessible from the “Archive” dropdown above– or contact our office.