Vintage gelatin-silver with period overpainting, ca. January 1944. Titled on the reverse in French and German "Observateur entre les rochers et la mer. Une bonne optique ne laisee passer aucune mouvement sur mer et dans les airs." and property stamp for Société du Petit Parisien, 27 Jan. 1944. Dimensions approximately 5 x 7 inches (13x18 cm).   Price: $120.   ( Inventory# gb58e )

Apparently the inhabitants of Paris were to be reassured of their safety by this view of an Axis soldier scanning the French coastline, his "sharp optics overlooking no movement, on the water or by air," a few months before the Allied invasion of Normandy. To my untrained eye there is already something a little ragged looking in his winter clothing and headgear.

Vertical folds in print left and right, through the areas marked with X's; brown glue stains from documentation attached on reverse.

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Last updated April 10, 2024