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Heinrich HoffmannGerman photographer
Date of Birth: 12.09.1885
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Assisting Royal Photographers
- Moving to Heidelberg and Frankfurt
- Imperial Photography
- A Failed Artistic Aspiration
- A Career in England
- A Photography Studio in Munich
- Military Photography
- Political Involvement
- The Rise of Hitler
- Propaganda and Political Success
- A Lucrative Business
- Art and Politics
- International Involvement
- Downfall and Imprisonment
- Later Life and Death
- Family
- Heinrich (October 24, 1916 - ?)
Early Life and Education
Heinrich Hoffmann was born in 1875 in Regensburg, Germany, as the only child of photographer Robert Hoffmann and Maria Kargl. From 1897 onwards, he joined the family business and apprenticed in photography under his father and uncle at their studio on Jesuit Place. The Hoffmann photographers specialized in portraiture and catered to a clientele of royalty and high-ranking figures.
Assisting Royal Photographers
At the age of 16, Heinrich Hoffmann moved to Darmstadt and assisted Hugo Thiele, court photographer to Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse. Thiele and Hoffmann were frequently summoned to the ducal palace to photograph members of the royal family. Hoffmann recalled being struck by the "aura of tragic sadness" surrounding the Russian grand duchesses Elizabeth and Alice, sisters of Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig, who had married into the Russian imperial family.
Moving to Heidelberg and Frankfurt
In 1901, Hoffmann relocated to Heidelberg and worked for university photographer Fritz Langbein, who specialized in genre photography of local student life. From 1902 onwards, he moved to Frankfurt am Main and worked in the studio of military photographer Philipp Theobald, whose clientele included officers from nearby barracks. As before, Hoffmann was initially entrusted with only colorizing photographs.
Imperial Photography
In early 1903, Hoffmann traveled to the spa town of Homburg and interned at the imperial court photography studio of Thomas Heinrich Voigt. At Wiesbaden Castle, he assisted in a photoshoot of Kaiser Wilhelm II on the occasion of a historic meeting with Emperor Nicholas II. The Kaiser, who held numerous honorary titles of foreign regiments, chose to be photographed in the uniform of each. After three years with Voigt, Hoffmann spent some time in Zurich working for photographer Camillo Ruf.
A Failed Artistic Aspiration
From Switzerland, Hoffmann returned to Munich, harboring dreams of becoming an artist. He attended lectures on anatomy at the University of Munich under Professor Siegfried Mollier and studied drawing technique at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts under Professor Heinrich Knirr. However, his father strongly opposed his son's artistic pursuits and only allowed him to practice art and painting in relation to photography. Hoffmann's unfulfilled artistic aspirations later drew him closer to Hitler, who had also unsuccessfully sought a career in painting.
A Career in England
In 1907, Hoffmann traveled to England to gain practical experience and earn money for his own studio. On the recommendation of photographer Georg Heinrich Emmerich, he briefly worked in the London studio of Emil Otto Hoppé before opening his own studio. He participated successfully in various photography competitions and developed connections among local nobility. By chance, Hoffmann captured sensational images of an airship crash before returning to his homeland in 1909.
A Photography Studio in Munich
In early 1910, Hoffmann established a portrait photography studio in Munich at Schellingstrasse 33. By early 1911, he married one of his first clients, Nelly Baumann, who became his assistant in the studio. Hoffmann's photography business thrived thanks to his journalistic ingenuity and love of art. He obtained a photograph of the famed tenor Enrico Caruso during a visit to Munich and collaborated with news agencies in Berlin and Austria. His clients included Bruno Walter and Richard Strauss.
Military Photography
With the outbreak of World War I, Hoffmann was drafted into the army as a military photographer. He served with the 3rd Bavarian Army Corps on the Western Front before working in the newly formed cinematographic service developing reconnaissance photographs. On August 2, 1914, Hoffmann photographed the public jubilation at Munich's Odeonsplatz. A black-and-white print of the Odeonsplatz photograph would later reveal Adolf Hitler's presence. At the end of 1918, with the start of the November Revolution, Hoffmann was discharged and returned to Munich, where he resumed photojournalism and portraiture of revolutionary leaders. Following the defeat of the Bavarian Soviet Republic, Hoffmann published a photo album titled "A Year of the Bavarian Revolution," which achieved great success.
Political Involvement
In 1919, Hoffmann joined the right-wing extremist party Einwohnerwehr and published a photo-brochure with a conservative, anti-revolutionary agenda. Simultaneously, he befriended Dietrich Eckart, the publisher of the Völkischer Beobachter. In April 1920, Hoffmann joined the Nazi Party at the age of 34 and obtained exclusive rights to distribute Eckart's anti-Semitic, inflammatory newspaper Auf gut deutsch ("In Plain German").
The Rise of Hitler
Hoffmann began photographing Nazi Party bosses, including Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, and soon after, Hitler. According to Hoffmann's memoirs, he occupied a more prominent position in society than Hitler at the time of their acquaintance. Following the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, Hoffmann's first portraits of Hitler appeared. In one image, Hitler is photographed surrounded by his fellow inmates at Landsberg Prison. All close-up photographs of Hitler were taken by Heinrich Hoffmann. The relationship between Hitler and Hoffmann was close and trusting. Hitler felt at home as a guest at the Hoffmanns' villa in Bogenhausen.
Propaganda and Political Success
In 1924, Hoffmann published a photo-brochure titled "Germany's Awakening in Pictures and Words." In 1926, he played an active role in founding the Nazi Party's newspaper Illustrierter Beobachter. As a representative of the Nazi Party, Hoffmann participated in the Upper Bavarian Assembly of Delegates in 1929 and served on the Munich City Council from December 1929 onwards. Hoffmann also introduced Eva Braun to Hitler, who joined Hoffmann's studio as an apprentice in 1929. One evening, Hoffmann arrived at the studio with a man he identified as Herr Wolf. After the stranger left, Hoffmann explained to Braun that it was Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party.
A Lucrative Business
From 1932 onwards, Hoffmann primarily occupied himself with propaganda-related photojournalism. His publishing house, Heinrich Hoffmann. Verlag national-sozialistische Bilder, employed up to 300 people, and the turnover from sales of photo albums commissioned by the Nazi Party soon reached millions of Reichsmarks. His busy schedule forced Hoffmann to resign from his position on the Munich City Council in 1933.
Art and Politics
In 1937, Hitler tasked Hoffmann with selecting exhibits for the "Great German Art Exhibition." He was even awarded the title of professor for this role. In 1938, Hoffmann became a member of the commission responsible for selling confiscated works of "degenerate art" abroad for hard currency.
International Involvement
In August 1939, Heinrich Hoffmann accompanied the German delegation led by Joachim von Ribbentrop to Moscow for the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. He served as a member of the Reichstag from 1933 onwards.
Downfall and Imprisonment
In April 1945, after a final visit with Hitler, Hoffmann traveled to Bavaria, where he was arrested by the Americans in Oberwössen. In October 1945, he was incarcerated in the prison of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, where he was expected to organize his archive for the Nuremberg Trials. Denazification proceedings against Hitler's personal photographer and friend began in January 1946. Hoffmann was initially classified as a major offender (Group I), but he managed to appeal the court's decision to sentence him to 10 years' imprisonment on several occasions. He was ultimately sentenced to four years in prison with complete confiscation of property.
Later Life and Death
Following his release in 1950, Hoffmann settled in the village of Epfenhausen near Munich, where he died seven years later at the age of 72.
Family
Wife (from 1911 to 1928): Therese "Nelly" Baumann; children:Henriette (1913-1992); married Baldur von Schirach, Reich Youth Leader of the Hitler Youth and Gauleiter of Vienna from 1932 onwards
