Figure 1.-- Josef Heinrich Darchinger as a boy became an ardent NAZI, perhaps even before he entered the Hitler Youth. He fought in the Bulge Camapign as part of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Division. What seems unlikely is that he became the most important Grman photographer chronicaling Germany's return to democracy and the very capitalist German Economic Miracle. Germany did not only recover, but under Allied occuopation becanme more affluent than evr before andnotavly more affluebnt than World War II victors, Britain and the Soviet Union. And more affluent than Communist East Germany. One of the symbiols iof that asucces was the automonile. The average Gernman family acquired them, most notably the Volkswagen Bug. This is not a VW Bug, but we can see one in the background. The car here is an example of the choice of cars Germans were drivuing after only about one decade of capitalism and democracy--a fairly standard Darchinger shot. East Gernas had ti make do with the Trebant. Therevwas nochoice and the average family could not even obtainn a Trabant.

Josef Heinrich Darchinger is a photo-journalist best known as the photographer of the German Economic Miracle following World War II. Sometimes this is phrased as the photographer of the Federal Republic, but in realistic terms the two are interchangeable. It is interesting that a thoroughly committed young NAZI would become the chronicler of the country's very capitalists and democratic economic miracle. Josef was born in Bonn (1925). Bonn of course as the capital of the Federal Republic (West Germany) is a suitable place from which to chronicle the economic resurrection of Germany after the World War II disaster the country brought on itself. We know little about his family or childhood. After finishing primary school, he pursued agricultural studies in secondary school. (This suggests an agricultural background, and farmers were a major component of the groups that brought the NAZIs to power. ) Unfortunately 1925 was not a good year to be born in Germany. At age 10 he would have joined the Hitler Youth and received a thorough NAZI indoctrination (1935). (Participation did not become mandatory unil 1936.) This is important, because it meant that he became infected with NAZI as a child. NAZIism is all that was present to boys Josef's age. (Of course we do not know anything about his family.) It also meant that boys born in that year would be drawn as youths into the coming War. At age 17 years he was conscription into the Reich Labor Service which at the time mean war work (1942) . He was then involved in actual combat. He served in the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Division. SS divisions were volunteers, men who truly believed in Hitler and the NAZI agenda, although toward the end of the War standards were relaxed somewhat. Darchinger participated in the Ardennes/Bulge offensive, the last, desperate, German offensive of the War (December 1944). He was seriously wounded. After the War he was in American and then custody as a POW. He escaped from the French and returned home to Bonn (1947). He got a job in a photographic lab and developed an interest in photography. He married a colleague, Ruth, in Bonn (1948). He did not own a camera until he purchased his first one (1949). It was a old Leica IIIc which had been used by a German war corespondent. So Germany's rebirth was photographed not only by a decorated SS soldier, but with the same camera that chronicled its horrific war. About 3 years later he began his career as a photo-journalist (1952). At that time The German Economic Miracle had begun. He began working for Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (German Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the trade unions. He joined the SPD in the same year. This of course meant that he had a left-wing tilt. Which is interesting because what he would be capturing in his work wa how capitalism was rebuilding Germany. His first major assignment was the funeral of SPD party chairman Kurt Schumacher, He worked with the SPD as a photographer for years. Darchinger became a photo correspondent for the weekly magazine and the newspaper Die Zeit -- one of the country's most important news source. As a result, Darchinger not only worked throughout Germany, but had many foreign assignments. Darchinger was thus active during almost the entire period of Germany's four decade economic revival (1952-89). By this time he was about 70 years old (1990). With unification and the move of the Federal capital to Berlin Darchinger settled on retirement. Darchinger who lived in Bonn throughout is career, published several photo book of his Bonn photographs. Much of his personal photographic record is part of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation's Archive of Social Democracy (AdsD). more than 1.6 million negatives as well as prints and slides. A collection of audio recordings of mostly of liberal politicians his held by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, a shinning accolade for Darchinger ideological and moral journey.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Sailor suits] [Sailor hats] [Buster Brown suits]
[Eton suits] [Rompers] [Tunics] [Smocks] [Pinafores] [Lederhosen]

Created: 9:19 PM 5/18/2023
Last updated: 9:19 PM 5/18/2023