Heinrich

Heinrich Hoffmann, born 12-09-1885 in Fürth, four years before Adolf Hitler (see Adolf Hitler) (did you know). After leaving school he worked in his father's photography shop. He was the one who accidential made th e famous picture of Hitler on the Odeonplatz in Munich, on 02-08-1914. He worked for several photographers as Emil Otto Hoppé in London.

              Hoppé died very old age of 94 on 09-10-1972, in London. He also worked in the shop of von Anita Augspurg and Sophia Goudstikker, the Atelier Elvira,

                                Heinrich opened his own studio, age 24, in 1909 in Munich, at the corner of the Amalien-Theresienstreet. He joined the German Army where he worked as an official photographer during the First World War at the French front. Releaved in 1918 he resumed his work as press photographer and had his preference for the political communistic revolution in Munich. His first book of photographs were published in 1919. He, age 34, joined the NSDAP in April 1920, became friends with Johann Dietrich Eckart (see Eckart), the publisher of the Vòlkischen Beobachters

        and he took over the management of the antisematic magazine "Auf gut deutsch" a weekly magazine about order and rights. He started to make pictures of the Nazi, big bosses, like Hermann Goering (see Goering) (did you know) and Rudolf Hess (see Hess) and Heinrich was chosen by its new leader Hitler (see Alois Hitler) (see William 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. Hoffmann belonged to the group of intimaties around Hitler and followed him closely, with his camara, in all events.

           

Hoffmann married Therese "Nelly" Baumann, who was very fond of Hitler, in 1911, their daughter Henriette ("Henny") was born on 03-02-1913 and followed by a son, Heinrich ("Heini") on 24-10-1916. Henriette married Reichsjugendführer, National Hitler Youth commander Baldur von Schirach (see Schirach), who provided introductions to many of Hoffmann's picture books, in 1932. Therese Hoffmann died a sudden and unexpected death in 1928 and Heinrich married Erna Gröbke, in 1929.

           In 1932 he enlarged his firm of publishers and had at one moment a 300 co-workers and with the exclusive rights of the Hitler photos, the big money came in. He in 1933, as early Party member, was elected to the Reichstag and in 1938 Hitler appointed him a 'Professor'. The “ mistress” of Hitler and later Mrs. Hitler, Eva Braun (see Eva Braun) (see Braun parents) worked in the photographer shop of Hoffmann were she met Hitler many times, then not yet so famous. Eva was girlfriend with Hoffmann’s daughter Henriette (see Henriette Hoffmann). In 1937 he was involved in the seizure of 770 Jewish work of arts, so called „Entartete Kunst“, art the Nazis didn´t allowed and accepted. All art works came from the Art Museum in Hamburg and were sold abroad. He himself had a large valuable collectiion of international forbidden art, most from French, Belgium and Dutch artists. Hitler insisted that he accompanied the German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (see Ribbbentrop) to Moscow for the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939 with Stalin (see Stalin) and Molotov (see Molotov);    the pictures of that event as of many others from the history of the Third Reich that one sees in books on that era are very frequently those that Hoffmann took.   In April 1945 on his last way to Hitler, Heinrich was arrested near Oberwòssen, in Bavaria, by the American forces and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment as a Nazi profiteer. After an appeal    the sentence remained only four years imprison and the seizure of his total property. Upon release from prison on 31-05-1950 he settled in the small village Epfach, 80 kilometres from Munich, where he died 7 years later at age 72, on 11-12-1957. His first wife Therese died in 1928, his son Heini died age 71 on 14-09-1988. The Hoffmanns are buried on the Nordfriedhof of Munich,   together with their daughter Henriette "Henny". Only steps away is the graves of Hitler opponent during the Putz in 1923, Dr. Gustav von Kahr (see Kahr), President of the Bavarian court and some further the secretary of Hitler, Traudl Junge-Humps (see Junge)(Hans), the Generals Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven (see Freytag),  Kuno Fütterer (see Fütterer) and Erich von Botzheim (see Botzheim), Hitler's driver and founder of the SS, Emil Maurice (see Maurice),  Hitler's doctor Ludwig Stumpfegger (see Stumpfegger), the Troost couple (see Paul Troost) (Gerda), former Hitler adjutant,Max Wünsche (see Wünsche) and Generaloberst of the Mountain Troops, Eduard Dietl (see Dietl).