The Wiener Library

Background

Background

Nazi Photography

Nazi propaganda picture of Nuremberg rally 1934 Hitler with a fawn, published as 'The Fuehrer is an animal lover' in 'Deutschland erwacht', 1933 Young man with swastika flag, published as 'Unsere Fahne flattert uns voran' (Our flag waves before us) in 'Deutschland erwacht', 1933 Young woman, Reichsarbeitsdienst Reich Labour Service), 1930s.		Photography played a vital role in the production of Nazi propaganda. The Party sought to exercise control over photography and photographers as it did over film, radio and the press. Photographers were reduced to the status of 'servants of the state and the nation'. Photography fell under the Schriftleitergesetz, or editorial law which was instituted on 4 October 1933, which barred 'non-Aryans' from the profession of journalism and established censorship of the press. Jewish photographers were no longer able to work in their profession and the regime controlled which photos were 'suitable' for publication. All members of the Association of the German Press Photographers had also to become members of Association of the German Press, in order to receive permission to continue working as photographers. Photography as 'visual propaganda' fell under a variety of strictures: Photographs were required to convey the Nazi ideals of strength, purity and beauty. Technically and aesthetically perfect photos depicted the 'Aryan' model with the aim of creating ideals for people to identify with. Images depicting the Nazi government in any negative manner were not permitted. In order to impress people both at home and abroad with the political and military strength of the Nazi movement, mass events such as the annual Party rallies at Nuremberg or the 1936 Olympic Games were highly publicised with images. Photographs depicting Adolf Hitler played a central role in Nazi propaganda and in the creation of the cult of personality around him. Besides being shown in many photos as the great leader of the German people, photos of Hitler often also aimed at depicting him as an ordinary man, loving children, dogs and nature, or simply driving a car. Many photographs included within their frame an image of Hitler in the background or the Nazi flag or a swastika badge on a lapel. The inclusion of such symbols underlined the political point of reference of the photograph. Even nature was used to promulgate propaganda. For example dramatic land- and skyscapes were used to evoke feelings of the mystical power of Heimat, the homeland. 'Aryan' prototypes were another popular theme in photography. Blonde and young people were depicted experiencing the joy of physical work. The aim was increase the willingness of ordinary Germans to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the Nazi revolution.

Photography served also to disseminate racial propaganda. Slavic peoples were depicted as racially degenerate and physically threatening. Jews were shown as sly, greedy and physically weak. Surprisingly, photos of ghettos and concentration camps were occasionally published but were shown as places of order and cleanliness which protected the German people from those who threatened their 'racial health'.

During the war, individual soldiers and the German army were only permitted to be shown as victorious while the Polish and Soviet Russian population were always shown as racially inferior 'subhumans'.

The Nazis used picture captions to carefully direct viewers in the 'correct' understanding of images, or to elicit specific emotional responses. For example, a picture of a drunken and impoverished man with a child in Poland was captioned to state that all the drinking dens in a particular area were owned and run by the Jews. The intention was to elicit a response of outrage and antisemitic passion in the viewer.

In general, the Nazis exploited the naive belief of most people that a photograph reflects reality. In fact photographs were the carriers of political messages intended to bolster the power of the regime and enlist popular support for its policies.