Description:

REICH MINISTRY OF AVIATION ARCHITECTURAL MODEL PHOTOGRAPHS
Excellent set of three large scale photographs, each depicting the builder's models utilized in the construction of the Berlin Headquarters of the "Reichsluftfahrtministerium" ("Reich Ministry of Aviation"), or RLM. These models would have been constructed to fit the exact dimensions of the proposed building, and were utilized to give the designers and builders a sense of what the completed edifice would look like in the context of the physical world. Includes: original photograph, 39 1/2" x 30" b/w, an elevated oblique view of the monumental building's main entrance courtyard on the Wilhelmstrasse, with its columned portico, iron fence, and most notably, its pair of massive stone pillars, each topped with a national eagle and swastika. Human figures are placed within the courtyard and on the sidewalk outside for scale. The image is numbered "381" in the negative at lower right; no other markings are apparent. Shows a 1 1/2" tear at lower right, with minor creases and a pin hole at each corner, else very good. WITH: original photograph, 53" x 20" b/w, a panoramic view depicting the rear of the RLM building as it would appear from the viewpoint of a pedestrian along the Niderkirchenerstrasse. The massive size of the building is readily apparent in this view, with four four-story wings branching out from the main six-story edifice, and with model trees added for scale. Shows cello tape remnants at the top edge, with pin holes at each corner, else very good. WITH: original photograph, 40" x 13 1/4" b/w, a view of one of the RLM building's two internal courtyards, looking out from beneath a columned portico to another entrance opposite. A sculpted national eagle, oddly without swastika, is visible above the opposite entrance, and several human figures have been added for scale. The image is numbered "379" in the negative at lower left; no other markings are apparent. Shows minor bumps at lower right, else very good. Together, these three images highlight the clean and modern appearance of many official buildings designed for the Luftwaffe, as opposed to the more classical architectural tropes preferred by Albert Speer in his public buildings. The RLM building, located on the Wilhelmstrasse in central Berlin, was constructed between February 1935 and August 1936, following a design by Ernst Sagebiel, who completed numerous other projects for the Luftwaffe, including the modernization of Tempelhof Airport. It was one of the few public buildings in Berlin to escape serious damage during World War II, and its ceremonial hall hosted the founding of the German Democratic Republic, which utilized it as a governmental center. The building is now known as the "Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus". It appears that the design presented here would have been installed in the space now occupied by a porcelain tile mural designed by Max Lingner, depicting the Socialist ideal of contented East Germans facing a bright future.

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May 14, 2018 1:00 PM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

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