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a black and white photo of a group of men standing togetherseveral old black and white photos of a group of people sitting at a tabletwo men standing in front of a building with a flag on itseveral old black and white photos of men and women standing in front of a traina black and white photo of a street lined with housesa black and white photo of a fenced in areatwo black and white photos of a group of men in uniforman old black and white photo of a group of men in military uniformstwo old photos of people walking down a street in front of a buildingfour black and white photos of a group of people standing in front of a pile of rubbleseveral old black and white photos of people in military uniformsfour black and white photos of people standing in front of a destroyed buildingfour old black and white photos of men and women working in a factoryseveral black and white photographs of people in a jail cell
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311 - [Second World War]
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Estimate €300 - €600
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Description
[Second World War] Photographs used in German Reich propaganda, 1941–1944 A collection of 117 silver-gelatine prints distributed by the Reichsbahnzentrale für den Deutschen Reiseverkehr (RDV), Germany’s propaganda agency for overseas audiences, approx. 18 x 24 cm and 13 x 18 cm, including: A group of criminal terrorists, all of whom are Jewish or foreign. From right to left: Elek, Fingercweig, Guzzywacr, Wasjbrot, Boczov, Manoukian Edith Piaf’s tour to visit French prisoners and workers in Germany (3 photos) The French Volunteer Legion (3 cl.) Eastern Front in Russia (30 cl.); Italian Front (5 cl.) Atlantic and Southern Fortifications, visit by Field Marshal Rommel (15 cl.) Destruction caused by Anglo-American air raids (12 clips) Foreign workers and working conditions in Germany (20 clips) The STO brass band in concert at the Place de l’Opéra in Paris; Journalists’ Congress in Vienna; At the Berlin Philharmonic during Dr Goebbels’s speech; The triumphant return of the Walloon Legion to Brussels 10 views of a prisoner-of-war camp with a red stamp on the reverse reading ‘Photographic Exploitation Service, 100 Rue Réaumur, Paris’ Originally, the Reichsbahnzentrale für den Deutschen Reiseverkehr (RDV) was the tourism promotion body of the Deutsche Reichsbahn (the Reich Railways), founded in 1920 (under the name Reichszentrale für deutsche Verkehrswerbung) and subsequently restructured as a company in 1928. Its acronym ‘RDV’ and its logo – a winged wheel (Flügelrad) – were retained following its reorganisation. The rise of the National Socialist regime in 1933 radically altered the RDV’s operational focus. Whilst remaining technically attached to the Deutsche Reichsbahn and the Reich Ministry of Transport (Reichsverkehrsministerium – RVM), the RDV was quickly co-opted by the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda – RMVP). From 1935 onwards, the RDV’s forty or so overseas offices were converted into promotional offices for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, distributing millions of leaflets designed to polish the image of Hitler’s regime abroad. As early as September 1940, the RDV reactivated its Paris operation by setting up a branch under the official name of Deutsches Verkehrsbüro (German Tourist Office). The organisation established its headquarters at 38 Avenue de l’Opéra, Paris, a prestigious address in the heart of Paris’s business and cultural district. The RDV produced propaganda posters, brochures, films and photographs, and remained active until 1944.
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About the sale ARCHIVES, BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS
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Auction time 10/08/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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