Heinrich Hoffmann (photographer)

Heinrich Hoffmann

Heinrich Hoffmann (b. 12 September 1885 in Fürth, Kingdom of Bavaria; d. 16 December 1957 in München, Bavaria) was a German photographer, Reich picture reporter of the NSDAP (Reichsbildberichterstatter), "pictorial chronicler of movement" (Bildchronist der Bewegung) and personal photographer (Leibfotograph) of Adolf Hitler.

Life

Erna Hoffmann (left) and Eva Braun (right) at the Berghof

Early life and career

Grave (München, Nordfriedhof)

Hoffmann worked in his father's photographic shop and as a photographer in Munich from 1908. He joined the NSDAP in 1920 and was chosen by its new leader Hitler as his official photographer. The two became close friends. Hoffmann's photographs were published as postage stamps, postcards, posters and picture books. Following Hoffmann's suggestion, both he and Hitler received royalties from all uses of Hitler's image (even on postage stamps), which made the photographer wealthy. In 1933 he was elected to the Reichstag and in 1938 Hitler appointed him a 'Professor'.

Publications

During the Third Reich, Hoffmann wrote many books on Hitler such as The Hitler Nobody Knows (1933), Jugend um Hitler (1934), Adolf Hitler – Bilder aus dem Leben des Führers (1936) and Hitler Abseits vom Alltag – 100 Bilddokumente aus der Umgebung des Führers (1937). In 1938 Hoffmann published three books, Hitler in Italy, Hitler befreit Sudetenland and Hitler in seiner Heimat. One of his last books, Das Antlitz des Führers, was published shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Des Führers Kampf in Norwegen was published 1940.

Later life

Hoffmann was arrested by the American troops on May 10, 1945 and after the war he was tried and sentenced to four years for war profiteering. Upon release from prison on 31 May 1950 he settled in the small village Epfach in the Munich area.

Photographic archive

A large archive of his photographs was seized by the US government during the Allied occupation of Germany. These are now held by the National Archives and Records Administration and comprise an important source of images for scholars of the Third Reich. These photographs are considered to be in the public domain in the US owing to their status as seized German property (otherwise their copyrights would not yet have expired).

There is an archive called the 'Bildarchiv Hoffmann', at the Bavarian State Library (or Bayerische Staatsbibliothek) in Munich, Germany.

Family

Lelly

Hoffmann married his fiancée Therese Magdalena "Lelly" Baumann (b. 15 December 1886) in 1911, a singer and actress. They had two children:

• Henriette "Henny" (b. 3 February 1913 in München-Schwabing; d. 27 January 1992 in München); ⚭ 31 March 1932 Baldur von Schirach
• Heinrich "Heini" (b. 24 October 1916; d. 14 September 1988)

Lelly Hoffmann died a sudden and unexpected death on 11 August 1928 in München.

Erna

In December 1929, around the time Eva Braun started to work for him in his studio, he met the young composer Erna Gröbke (1904–1988) in a coffee shop. Erna was the daughter of Adolf Gröbke (1872–1949), a German opera singer (tenor). Erna loved art, classical music, the theater – two hearts came together. They met and dated as often as possible, early 1934 she finally accepted his proposal and on 18 April 1934 they married.

Books (selection)

• Hitler was My Friend, Burke, London 1955

German language

• Der Triumph des Willens – Kampf und Aufstieg Adolf Hitlers und seiner Bewegung, 1933
• Deutschland erwacht, 1933
• Deutschland erwacht – Werden, Kampf und Sieg der NSDAP, Cigaretten-Bilderdienst Verlag, Altona-Bahrenfeld 1933. Einband mit dem Buchschmuck von SS-Obersturmführer Felix Albrecht (de).
• Jugend um Hitler – 120 Bilddokumente aus der Umgebung des Führers, 1934
• Hitler wie ihn keiner kennt, 1935
• Parteitag der Freiheit – 80 Bilddokumente vom Reichsparteitag zu Nürnberg 1935, „Zeitgeschichte“ Verlag und Vertriebs-Gesellschaft M. B. H., Berlin 1935, Geleitwort und Unterschriften von Alfred-Ingemar Berndt (de)
• Adolf Hitler – Bilder aus dem Leben des Führers (1936, 134 S., Scan, Fraktur) (PDF-Datei)
• Hitler Abseits vom Alltag – 100 Bilddokumente aus der Umgebung des Führers, Geleitwort von Wilhelm Brückner (de), 1937 (PDF-Datei)
• Die Weltausstellung Paris 1937 – 100 Raumbild-Aufnahmen, 1937
• Fotos und Holzschnitt Reichsautobahn A2: Hannover – Bad Oeynhausen – Bielefeld, 1937
• Mussolini erlebt Deutschland, 1937
• Hitler in Italien – 126 Bilder, 1938
• Hitler holt die Saar heim, 1938
• Hitler in seinen Bergen, 1938
• Hitler in seiner Heimat, 1938
• Parteitag Großdeutschland. 79 Bilddokumente vom Reichsparteitag zu Nürnberg 1938, 1938
• Hitler baut Grossdeutschland im Triumph von Königsberg nach Wien, 1938
• Hitler bei dem Deutschen Turn- und Sportfest in Breslau 1938, 1938
• Hitler befreit Sudetendeutschland, 1938
• Das Antlitz des Führers, 1939
• Dr. Robert Ley und sein Weg mit dem deutschen Arbeiter zum Führer, 1939
• Ein Volk ehrt seinen Führer Der 20. April 1939 im Bild, 1939
• Hitler in Böhmen-Mähren-Memel, 1939
• Hitler in Polen (1939, 100 S., Scan) (PDF-Datei)
• Wie die Ostmark ihre Befreiung erlebte – Adolf Hitler und sein Weg zu Großdeutschland, Zigarettenfabrik in Österreich, Wien 1939. Einband mit dem Buchschmuck von SS-Obersturmführer Felix Albrecht. (PDF-Datei)
• München. Die Hauptstadt der Bewegung., 1939
• Mit Hitler im Westen, 1940
• Des Führers Kampf in Norwegen (1940, 21 Doppels., Scan) (PDF-Datei)
• Stahl aus Luxemburg, 1942
• Hitler wie ich ihn sah. Aufzeichnungen seines Leibfotografen; München, Berlin: Herbig, 1974; ISBN 3-7766-0668-1