From the Kriegsberichter's Eyes: A study in German Press Photos

[Todd Gylsen]

Another style of script utilized by Presse Bild Zentrale is shown below. The main difference of this caption compared to the above caption was the addition of the Kriegsberichters name below the main caption of the photo. In this example, the Kriegsberichter is Schwahn.

[Todd Gylsen]

Another style of script is shown below. In this style of script, the name of the Kriegsberichter is eliminated from the second line of the press script. Otherwise the caption is identical to the one shown above.

[Todd Gylsen]

A fourth style of script is the most commonly encountered and appears to have been instituted after the beginning of the war.

[Todd Gylsen]

In rare instances, the press script is printed on pink paper and not the normal ivory colored paper. The script style follows the normal PBZ style as is shown below.

[Todd Gylsen]

The numbering system utilized by Presse Bild Zentrale consisted of the letter ‘A‘ followed by a number. For some reason, the large size press photo (normally 8x10), the letter ‘A’ was dropped and only the number was used. The dates and numbers should flow consecutively in sequence, however, it is not uncommon for misprints to occur. For example, when comparing the number on the photo to the date the photo was released, one can easily recognize if either the date or photo number has been misprinted.

The latest PBZ press photo I have observed is A131402 which is dated 9 OCtober 1944. It appears that late war PBZ press photos are not very easy to come by.

Next up will be Hoffmann.

[jmark]

Thanks for your effort on this, Todd, it's very helpful. And I look forward to future installments. Something like this has needed to be done for a long time, so it's great to see you so selflessly creating a useful reference.

Keep up the good work!
Jason

[Todd Gylsen]

Thanks Jason for the compliment. It has taken a very long time to put all this information together.

Now for the next press agency, Hoffmann.

Hoffmann was a press agency operated by Hitler’s personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann. This agency had two locations, one in Berlin and one in Vienna. Contrary to popular belief, most Hoffmann press photos were not taken by Heinrich Hoffmann, they were just released by his agency. The Hoffmann agency was in operation through the years of the Third Reich.

Heinrich Hoffmann used a few variations of stampings to mark their photos. Their first style of stamp utilized by Hoffmann is shown below. This stamp is believed to have ceased in 1936.

[Todd Gylsen]

The next style of stamp was mostly utilized for a short period of time (1937), however, it has been very rarely observed on photos throughout the rest of the war years. It is not know what information was to be written with the parenthesis shown in this particular stamp.

[Todd Gylsen]

The most common style of stamp utilized by the Berlin Hoffman offices came in two distinct sizes. The largest and most common size was approximately 3 ¼”x 1 ½” while the least common is approximately 2 ½”x 1 ¼”. The color of the stamp was normally purple, although black ink was occasionally used.

[Todd Gylsen]

Another stamp utilized by Hoffmann has only so far been observed in very late war press photos (April 1945). It is possible for this stamp to have been used prior to this date.

[Todd Gylsen]

The Hoffmann agency located in Vienna had their own distinct style of stamp having a square border versus the normal oval border of the Berlin offices. This style of stamp is fairly common to come across and has been observed in two sizes, the most common being 3 ¼” x 1 3/8” and the other being only 1 ¾” x ¾”. The Vienna stamp was either purple or pink in color.

[Todd Gylsen]

One last stamp which has been very rarely observed on Hoffmann press photos is shown below. This stamp would normally be seen in conjunction with one of the other stampings listed previously.

[Todd Gylsen]

The style of script that utilized by Hoffmann slightly changed thoughout the existence of the Hoffmann press agency. The earliest style of Hoffmann press script is shown below. This example, dated from 1923, shows the format of their earliest styles of scripts. It begins with a brief background of the photo, followed by the photograph number and a short synopsis of the photo.

[Todd Gylsen]

It is not known exactly when the styles of the press script changed as in this example from 1936. The format is still very similar except now a date has been added to the top left of the photo and a title line has been added.

[Todd Gylsen]

A short time later, the style of the press script slightly changed once again. This time the photo number has been moved to the top left and the date to the bottom left of the script. Also, note the addition of the Hoffmann name to the bottom right of the photo.