Vintage German Portrait Studios With Funny Backdrops From the Early 20th Century

Overloaded. The landscape in the background is the Rhine Valley at Königswinter with the castle Drachenfels and Schloss Drachenburg high over the river (Germany), ca. 1930.

Limp Zep. Some WWI soldiers on their way home. "Von der Saniwüste nach der Heimat" (From the medic desert back to home).

Exhibition, London 1913. A note on the reverse says: "World's Fair 1913, London". Strange, but there was no World's Fair in London that year, only a National Gas Congress and Exhibition in Shepherd's Bush.

Escape from Munster. The sign reads "Escape from Munster to America". Whitsun 1914. Munsterlager, Germany.

Paper Plane. These photographs were very popular at their time and there is a great number of different types of planes, zeppelins and balloons.

On Tour. A very detailed studio prop of a car. Even the tires are labeled. Photographer: Julius Hoffmann, Bad Kissingen, Villa Martin.

Military Zep-Train. It was only a funny backdrop for photographs in the 1920s.

Smoke and Booze. "See what the boys in the backroom will have. And tell them I'm having the same". Photograph by: Wilhelm Frank, Aurich (Northern Germany)

This photograph was made by F.W. Krabow who had studios in Blankenese (Hamburg) and Smyrna (today's Izmir). This shot was made around 1900 in his Hamburg studio. The backdrop shows Blankenese, an upper-class district in the western part of Hamburg.

Goin' Home. At the very right side of this photograph you can see the edge of the backdrop. Early 20th century / WWI. Photographer: M. Piepenhagen.

Whitsun. 1899 in Japan Made in "Ryoundo", Nunobiki, Kobe, Japan.

It seems that this bavarian boy was very disappointed when he tried to peek behind the mysterious door. Just a clever backdrop, probably at a travelling photographers tintype parlor. Tintype, Germany, early 20th century.

These funny guys are probably German students. Tintype, Germany ca. 1900/1910.

Actor (?) in painted mediterranean landscape. Cabinet card by F. Luckhardt, ca 1880s.

Just Like the Red Baron. This one was taken somewhere at the river Rhine.

A Journey Above the Clouds. Granny's got everything under control! Germany, Coepenick 1912.

Tintype. Probably Germany, ca. 1900.

The Art of Backdrops V. CDV by H. Sachse, Burg. 1870s. What he is holding in his hands? A watch, a stone, an egg, kind of a tin with small photographs on the top?

The Art of Backdrops VI. CDV, no photographers imprint. Afaik, section 131 of the Penal Code (1870 in Germany) threatened everyone a fine or up to two years in prison if making fun of the authority or being disrespectful.

Escape from Jüterbog. Jüterbog in north-eastern Germany (Brandenburg) was a garrison town of the Prussian Army.

Happy Easter! (1915). Even the Easter Bunny wore a "Pickelhaube" and rifle in imperial Germany. Photographer: Schubert, Munsterlager, Germany.

Glück ab. "Glück ab", is the traditional German aviators greeting. Those prop balloons and aircrafts from 30s/40s.

§ 11. The "§ 11" is the best known paragraph in German "Bier-Comments" (Beer code), i.e. the jocular regulations of drinking beer in student pubs. It also appears in the traditions of the German craftsmen. It reads "Es wird fortgesoffen", freely translated with "Keep on drinking". Therefore "§ 11" often appears on funny photographs around the turn of the century. Germany ca. 1910.

Tintype. Is that ballast in their hands or are they trying to bomb the city?

(Photos via Wolfgang Wiggers)