's human materials
05.13.253 is a section of the Ettinger collection of human materials, created by German-Jewish poet, editor, philosopher, and critic Walter Benjamin (1892–1940). It is composed of three notebooks and two folders of loose papers containing notes, clippings, quotations, and other documents related to Benjamin’s study of language and history. This collection of human materials is a testament to Benjamin’s unconventional approach to history, which rejected traditional historiography and autonomous art in favor of a “Gesamtkunstwerk” (total work of art) initiated not by certain authors, but by the complex of material objects that allow history to be narrated from multiple perspectives. The collection serves as a valuable resource for anyone interested in Benjamin’s thinking or philosophy.