Erica Pappritz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 June 1893 |
| Died | 4 February 1972 (aged 78) Bonn, West Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
| Years active | 1919–58 |
| Notable work | Buch der Etikette Etiquette neu |
Erica Pappritz (25 June 1893 – 4 February 1972) was a German diplomat and civil servant. She co-wrote two books on social etiquette, Buch der Etikette ("The Book of Etiquette") and Etikette neu ("New Etiquette").
Pappritz's father was a Rittmeister in the German Army.[1] Her name was often incorrectly translated as "Freifrau von" ("Dame of"), in reference to German poet Marie Luise Kaschnitz.[2]
In 1972, she died in Bonn of heart failure.[3]
In 1919, Pappritz joined the Federal Foreign Office, working in the foreign trade office.[1] She supervised the Diplomatic Corps during the Nuremberg Rallies.[1] In 1943, Pappritz became a civil servant. On her 50th birthday, she was given the salary of a first-grade Legation Council member.[1] In 1944, she was transferred to Karpacz, after her office was converted into an armaments factory.[3] After the Second World War, Pappritz was made to attend a denazification board meeting along with Vollrath von Maltzan. Both said that they had rejected Nazism. Pappritz had been a member of the Nazi Party.[4]
Pappritz settled in Eichenau, Bavaria, and in 1949, she was asked to take the Bavarian State Chancellery to Bonn.[3] In 1950, she agreed the etiquette during a disagreement between Cologne and Bonn over the seating arrangements at an event to celebrate 1900 years since the founding of Cologne.[5]
In 1956, Pappritz and Karlheinz Graudenz wrote the book Buch der Etikette (The Book of Etiquette).[6][7] At the time, she was working as the Legation Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Protocol to the Foreign Office in Bonn.[8] The book had a focus on increasing civility in post-Nazi Germany, focusing on politeness and a respect for human rights.[9] The book includes sections on correct odour and on how Bonn diplomats liked to carry umbrellas.[10] At the time, the book was criticised for promoting snobbery.[8] Stockholms-Tidningen journalist Christer Jäderlund said: "One does not know whether one should laugh or cry over this etiquette bible certified by the West German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1957."[11] Pappritz made some corrections to the original book, and the third edition was published in 1957.[12]
In 1967, Pappritz and Graudenz wrote another book, Etikette neu (New Etiquette).[13] The book became available at the German Bundestag in 2007.[10]
Pappritz retired from public office in 1958,[3] after which she occasionally lectured on tourism,[3][14] advertising,[15] and social etiquette.[16]
