Yudlov 403 Haggadah Karlsruhe 1796

Yudlov 403 Haggadah Karlsruhe 1796

Publisher: Hirsch Virmish

Karlsruhe Haggadah, 1796 – Élie Wogue of Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne

An ownership inscription in pencil inside this 1796 Karlsruhe Haggadah appears to read:

Élie Wogue
Rue de Ferrare
Fontainebleau
Seine & Marne

The Wogue family, originally from Alsace, became one of the established Jewish families of Fontainebleau during the early nineteenth century and remained associated with the town across multiple generations.

Several historical figures bearing the name Élie Wogue are documented within this Fontainebleau family network, including an Élie Wogue born in 1798 and another born in 1812. While the precise identification of the owner remains uncertain, evidence strongly suggests that this Haggadah belonged to a member of this long-established French Jewish family.

The address itself is revealing. Rue de Ferrare lies within the historic center of Fontainebleau near the Château district, indicating an urban residence rather than a rural location. The inscription’s style — name, street, town, and department written in pencil — resembles a nineteenth- or early twentieth-century ownership mark intended to identify the book if separated from its owner.

While archival confirmation remains a future goal, current evidence strongly points toward ownership by a member of the Fontainebleau Wogue family, transforming a simple pencil inscription into a valuable piece of the Haggadah’s historical journey.