Germany, Der Stahlhelm. A Private Photo Album Featuring Stahlhelm and Military Service

(Der Stahlhelm und Reichswehr Fotoalbum). An interesting private photo album belonging to an individual who saw extensive service with the Stahlhelm and Jungstahlhelm, in addition to later duties with the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht. The album is constructed of a card stock binding with a blue canvas exterior liner. The spine is perforated with two holes at both the front and back, all reinforced with brown-painted magnetic metal grommets, with a period original drawstring looped through and securely tied together to maintain the album’s structural integrity. The interior content consists of 24 black card stock pages, each separated by a wax paper liner to protect the images. Pasted to the pages are 61 black-and-white period photos and eight commemorative postcards. The former depict members of the Stahlhelm drilling, training, and at leisure, with visor cap insignia indicating National Socialist involvement and dating the images to the early 1930s. Later photos depict individuals wearing visor caps with Jungstahlhelm insignia, as well as numerous shots of individuals wearing Reichswehr and Wehrmacht (Heer) uniforms shortly after the NSDAP’s seizure of power. The images are fully uncaptioned and the album is unmarked. It measures 240 mm (w) x 165 mm (h) and demonstrates no evident damage of loss of photos. An interesting look at military and paramilitary careers spanning the Weimar Republic and early Third Reich in extremely fine condition.