us-005578-irn85614-irn3744
type: RecordSet
archival history: The poster was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990.
biographical history: Heinrich Hoffmann (1885-1957) was a German photographer and Nazi propagandist. The son and nephew of photographers, he worked in the Hoppé studio in London before setting up in Munich as a portraitist and photojournalist. His photograph of cheering crowds on 2 August 1914 unwittingly captured the young Adolf Hitler, an event which would later benefit Hoffmann's career. Drifting to the far right after the First World War and revolutionary events in Bavaria, he joined the Nazi Party in 1920 and convinced an initially camera-shy Hitler of photography's political value. Hoffman’s assistant, Eva Braun, became Hitler’s mistress in 1930. After 1933, his virtual monopoly of Hitler photographs, as ‘the man who sees the Führer for us’, made him one of the Third Reich's major profiteers. His scenes of carefully constructed intimacy, presenting his master, especially in the regime's early years, as a clean-living, nature-loving man of the people, were massively disseminated. After 1945, though claiming to have been a mere chronicler of events, he was fined and imprisoned. His extensive photo archive survives, including photographs of German political and religious figures, as well as actors, painters, and musicians.
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Small, black-and-white poster on a white linen backing with a portrait image of Adolf Hitler from the shoulders up. He is facing forward with an expressionless face. Hitler is wearing the collared shirt and tie of a Sturmabteilung (SA) uniform, with a Sam Browne-style belt over his right soldier. In the lower right corner, white, German text is printed at the center of a square-shaped black banner. There are defined creases where the poster was previously folded into quarters.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: approximately 1927-1945
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: deu
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn3744
is or was included in: us-005578-irn85614
record resource extent: overall: Height: 12.500 inches (31.75 cm) | Width: 9.250 inches (23.495 cm) pictorial area: Height: 11.375 inches (28.893 cm) | Width: 8.000 inches (20.32 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: German poster featuring a photorealistic, black and white image of Adolf Hitler wearing a Sturmabteilung (SA) uniform. The Sturmabteilung (SA) was a Nazi paramilitary organization responsible for protecting party meetings, voter intimidation, and physically assaulting opponents. As a result of the Great Depression and the growing popularity of the Nazi Party, SA membership swelled to 400,000 by 1932, and by 1933, membership was at approximately two million. On The Night of Long Knives, June 30, 1934, Hitler and the Schutzstaffel (SS) carried out a purge, murdering dozens of SA leaders including its cofounder and commander Ernst Röhm. Afterwards, the SA ceased to play a major role in Nazi affairs. The image is from a portrait of Hitler taken by his personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann. Images of Hitler from this photo session appeared in multiple forms of print media. Hoffmann joined the Nazi Party in 1920, and convinced an initially camera-shy Hitler of photography's political value. Hoffmann orchestrated and took photos of Hitler in public and private, and used the images to craft Hitler’s public image as a benevolent leader. Hoffmann’s photographs were published throughout Germany on postcards, stamps, posters, and books. Both Hitler and Hoffman profited financially from the royalties of the photos, and made millions of Reich marks. Hoffman’s assistant, Eva Braun, became Hitler’s mistress in 1930.
title: yes! German election poster featuring a photographic portrait of Adolf Hitler