Margot, Anne's sister
Margot Frank, 12 May 1939
Margot Frank, born on 16 February 1926, steps out of the shadow of her world-famous sister Anne with an exhibition especially devoted to her in the Anne Frank House. The exhibition ‘Margot, Anne's sister’ was opened today by friends and classmates of Margot Frank. At the opening ceremony Jetteke Frijda spoke of her close friendship with Margot, and expressed her appreciation of the exhibition being shown: “All the attention for Anne is a wonderful thing, but Margot should be mentioned too.”
The exhibition, which can be seen in the Anne Frank House until 15 September, sketches an image of Margot with the use of personal film testimony and other historical evidence, photos, letters and artefacts.
Good, kind and clever
“Margot doesn’t need [any upbringing] since she’s naturally good, kind and clever”, wrote Anne in her diary on 27 September 1942. The exhibition confirms this image of Margot – kind, clever and attractive – and also highlights her sporting, sociable and sensitive side. For example, the exhibition includes images of Margot skiing and skating, her swimming certificate and rowing medal, a diary by Jetteke Frijda with a personal message from Margot, letters from Margot, and more. Quotations from parents Otto and Edith Frank and sister Anne, together with film testimony from childhood friends, give a character sketch of Margot.
Sister
It is the first time that an exhibition has been especially devoted to Margot Frank. Though small in scale, it offers visitors the opportunity to get to know Anne’s sister better. But visitors will learn less about Margot’s inner life. Unlike Anne, she was an introverted, private person. The sisters, different as they were, nevertheless had a close bond. In the exhibition, eyewitness Bloeme Evers tells of their closeness in the Westerbork transit camp. The sisters remained together to the end. In March 1945 Margot died, aged 19, in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, a few days before Anne.