View source for Tail-Coat of Sasha Bornstein

 tx;1956;002;wo

Formal Tail Coat Of Sasha Bornstein, Black wool with satin lining. First half of 20th century. No labels. 

Alexander “Sasha” Bomstein (Musician, 1897-1981). Born in the Ural Mountain town of Ufa, Bomstein immigrated with his family to Vladivostok, to Shanghai, China, and eventually to the United States where he settled in Hollywood, California, married, and played double bass for the N.B.C. Symphony under Arturo Toscanini  (1867–1957). This coat was part of Bomstein's professional attire. A Russian Jew, he was an active member and supporter of the American Communist Party and was unwilling—unable—to make any concessions to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the 1950's. He toured with the orchestra of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo with Yma Sumac in the mid 1950s and numerous other orchestras. 

Both he and his wife (a screen-writer in the movie industry) took an active part in Communist Party leadership on the West Coast and steady work was impossible for them to attain under the black-list and he ended his life a disillusioned man. He loved Schubert's “Trout” quintet and children for whom he often played the contrabass solo “The Elephant” from Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals.”

''—Gift of Jon Appleton''