Description:

ADOLF HITLER SIGNED SELF-PORTRAIT
ADOLF HITLER (1889 - 1945) Fuhrer of Germany and Nazi Party leader, Hitler's bloody rise to power, his military seizure of most of Europe and North Africa and his genocidal racial policies culminated in suicide in his Berlin bunker as Russian troops approached. An extraordinary piece, a fairly large self-portrait pencil sketch undertaken by Adolf Hitler during World War I, signed by him at lower-right. The 8.5 x 12 in. drawing was executed on rag paper and portrays the future dictator in the three-quarter length standing pose in his uniform of a cap, field tunic, and trousers. He bears the same moustache he wore during the war, which he also sometimes fashioned into a 'handlebar' style when it suited him. Across his chest is the strap for the dispatch bag which rests on his left hip, Hitler having been a dispatch runner, and this bag would have been unusual to have been borne by any other soldier. As a dispatch runner, Hitler undertook a very dangerous task and was exposed to enemy fire constantly. His bravery in combat resulted in his award of an Iron Cross, 2nd Class and recommendation for the Iron Cross, First Class later in the war. The drawing is signed 'ADOLF HITLER' in block letters at lower-right with the number '16' penciled beside the signature at another time, leading us to speculate that this drawing was at one time part of a larger group of Hitler's wartime sketches that were cataloged at some point thereafter. The drawing bears large chips to the brittle paper at top, with a few much smaller chips at bottom margin, none of which affect the image. It is taped at top to a mat backing and set into a very simple frame, only for stabilization and preservation. In regarding the drawing itself, it should be noted that while Hitler was fairly accomplished at architectural renderings, he was utterly inept in drawing the human figure. In his paintings prior to and after the war, humans are generally reduced to stick figures. A very similar signed Hitler pencil portrait of a fellow soldier was sold by us in January, 2023. This sketch has written provenance dating back to 1978, and compelling evidence going back to the fall of Berlin. Accompanying the sketch is an original statement of provenance signed by the purchaser, militaria dealer Richard Schneider in 1978. The statement, headed 'HITLER'S SKETCHES' (indicating that Schneider bought more than just this one sketch), reads in part: 'Brought back by a then Captain Burke, U.S.A.F. from Berlin in 1945. Captain Burke had flown some VIP into Berlin in May, 1945. While there he walked in to Reichskancelery [sic] and was granted access by a Russian guard. He removed the sketches and a silver serving tray along with some other items. The Captain became a doctor and retired a Col. in the USAF. His home was in Broken Arrow, Arizona and in 1964, he gave the sketches to Mr. Britton of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mr. Britton was asked to return them to the doctor who had agreed to trade them for a 1939 Ford but before he could return them, the doctor died. Mr. Britton never returned the material to the doctor and/or his family. He kept them in his possession until 1978 when in September of 1978, he sold them to a Mr. Gary Goodner of Yukon, Oklahoma, a friend he had met at gun shows. Mr. Goodner sold them to me on 9-16-78.' The sketch is sold with five 3.5 x 2.5 in. snapshots of various scenes in Berlin believed to have been taken by Burke and depicting Russian and a few American soldiers, and the Chancellery and other buildings in ruins. In researching 'Burke', AI pointed us to the following: 'An American Army Air Force (AAF) captain named Burke is associated with the discovery of Adolf Hitler's body in the Reich Chancellery garden in Berlin in 1945. He was one of the first Western Allied soldiers to enter the Fuhrerbunker complex after the Battle of Berlin ended in May 1945...In early July 1945, a few weeks after Hitler's suicide, Captain Burke was photographed inspecting the area....He is most notably linked to a photo of an American soldier looking into a shell crater in the Chancellery garden...This crater was where the remains of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun were discovered by Soviet soldiers and later identified...' Jack Britton was a prominent militaria dealer and co-author with David Borthick of 'Medals, Military and Civilian of the United States', published in Tulsa by MCN Press, 1984. Schneider was a very active high-lever buyer and seller in the militaria market, trading under the name 'Cannon Investments', and he had extensive contacts with surviving members of Hitler's staff and government. These including Traudl Junge with whom he carried on an extensive and revealing correspondence, and with Albert Speer from whom he purchased a significant quantity of Hitler's original architectural sketches. On Oct. 9, 1978 Schneider gave the sketch to purported Hitler art expert Peter Jahn for authentication, and that original authentication is present as well. In 1979, Schneider consigned the drawing to Charles Hamilton Galleries in New York, founded by Charles Hamilton, a world-recognized autograph expert who specialized in Third Reich material. Hamilton, who wrote over a dozen books on autographs including the definitive two-volume set 'Leaders & Personalities of the 3rd Reich', authenticated the piece and set about promoting it. The sketch was covered in Newsweek on May 28, 1979 (copy included), the German magazine Quick, and other news media including Reuters. However, the piece failed to meet Schneider's $25,000 reserve, equivalent to about $110,000 today. The drawing, along with original provenance statements, press notices, and originals and retained copies of the Schneider-Hamilton correspondence are included with the sketch. This sketch, which Schneider insisted on keeping after Hamilton disappointed him, has remained in the Schneider family for the past nearly 50 years and it is consigned to us by a direct family descendant of Richard Schneider. Very likely the only authentic self-portrait of Hitler known.

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November 13, 2025 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000