Family Studio Portraits Collection

[Tim DC]

One sideproject I have been busy with for over a year now is the collecting of family studio portraits. To me, it is almost as interesting as the uniforms, insignia and award variations to see the families behind the men. Grandfathers with WW1 pins, mothers with mothercrosses, Hitlerjugend children, ... theoretically everything can be seen in these.

I'll share some of mine and will try to add more in the future. I'm trying to identify everything in the photos so any help would be appreciated in case I'm not sure. Please do share yours if you have similar photos, and if you'd want to sell some, please let me know. I'm not looking for wedding photos or photos with only couples.

[Tim DC]

#1 - A Hilfzollbetriebsassisent with his wife and daughters. He's wearing the M36 Feldbluse with customs insignia and cufftitle. The family lived in Saxen near Bohemia: father probably patrolled at the German-Czech border.

[Tim DC]

#2 - Wehrmacht Obergefreiter with wife and kid. Four decorations on his M40 Feldbluse: The Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen, Verwundetenabzeichen im Schwartz, EK2 ribbon, and a ribbon bar for the Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 (Sudeten annexation).

[Tim DC]

#3 - A family of five. You can see in this pic how the oldest son, serving in the Heer and wearing the Waffenrock, has taken the place of the diseased father. Not too spectacular this photo, but great when you compare it with the next one.

[Tim DC]

#4 - Okay, previous photo was taken in 1940, this is the same family a couple of years later. Try and recognize the old faces. The oldest son (on the left) is already an Oberfeldwebel and has a wife and two kids. The youngest was called up to go to the East as well. The youngest daughter has lost her beautiful hair . The oldest daughter is married to the "new guy" on the right, one child as well.

[Tim DC]

#5 - An SA Sturmführer from Munchen with his wife and twin sons. Nice view to the SA armband.

[Tim DC]

#6 - A Wasserschutzpolizei officer with his family, obviously from the higher class. Always great to find something from such smaller organisations.

[Tim DC]

#7 - Oldest son makes Vater Max proud. He was in the Grossdeutschland Division and wearing a feldgrau wrapper with GD insignia and cufftitle.

[Tim DC]

#8 - To finish with tonight a uniform to ponder over. A portrait from this man has been shown on the forums before, without any identifcation result. He is wearing the M40 Feldbluse with metal "911" numbers on the collar. One hypothese was he could be some sort of French volunteer. Any ideas?

Will try to post some more in the next few days.

[Joe Slavick]

This is my only family portrait. Parents, sisters and wife (girlfriend?)

Joe

[Tim DC]

Nice one Joe! Thanks for sharing.

No ideas at all on the strange uniform in photo #8 ?

Here's some more.
#9 - What a family, almost as big as grandfather's moustache! One of the six grandchildren is serving in the Heer. Interesting is the membership badge for the Nationalsozialistische Kriegsopferversorgung, a veterans organisation helping the families of the killed and mutiliated from the Great War. The sword-like badge is worn by grandfather on top of his WW1 EK2 bow.

[Tim DC]

#10 - All dressed up nice

[Tim DC]

#11 - Luftwaffe Oberleutnant in an administrative function. Wearing the following decorations on his Tuchrock: EK2 ribbon, and twofold ribbon bar for the KVK2 mit Schwertern and the Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 (Sudetenland).

[Tim DC]

#12 - A Luftwaffe "Der Spiess" with wife and kid. Note the difference of expression between the father and the boy. He's got that look in his eyes I've seen with many TR children..
Normally I keep with studio portraits but I thought the airplane maquette added something to this photo. Any guesses on the type?

[Tim DC]

#13 - Last for now a decorated Obergefreiter and family father in the winter of 1944. One of the children made the awards and insignia unrecognisable. I tried to fix it a bit and I see they had nothing to be ashamed of. Dad is wearing, among some combat awards, the rare Mine Rescue Service Award ribbon, for helping people with risk of his own life.