World War I photograph albums, circa 1915-1918

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Summary

Title:
World War I photograph albums
Dates:
circa 1915-1918
Creators:
Sennecke, Robert, 1885-1940
Abstract:
5 photograph albums containing over 500 photographs and related ephemeral items. The first three albums were created by photojournalist Robert Sennecke and are propagandistic in nature, with images from the front showing officers, war heroes, weaponry, politicians, and soldiers; all images are accompanied by typewritten captions. Sennecke's albums contain a mounted identification slip from Sennecke's studio. The fourth album, created by a German grenadier, contains 210 photographs, many accompanied by extensive handwritten descriptions; it also includes some documents and letters, a small medals, and pieces of his uniform. The fifth album contains images depicting scenes of soldiers at work and at rest; urban and industrial scenes, including railways, sawmills, and factories; and locations such as Verdun, Somme, La Bassee, and Flanders. As a collection, the photograph albums provide a well-documented German perspective on World War I.
Extent:
4.58 linear ft. 5 boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Box/folder# or item name], World War I photograph albums, Collection no. 6060, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Background

Scope and content:

5 photograph albums containing over 500 photographs and related ephemeral items. The first three albums were created by photojournalist Robert Sennecke and are propagandistic in nature, with images from the front showing officers, war heroes, weaponry, politicians, and soldiers; all images are accompanied by typewritten captions. Sennecke's albums contain a mounted identification slip from Sennecke's studio. The fourth album, created by a German grenadier, contains 210 photographs, many accompanied by extensive handwritten descriptions; it also includes some documents and letters, a small medals, and pieces of his uniform. The fifth album contains images depicting scenes of soldiers at work and at rest; urban and industrial scenes, including railways, sawmills, and factories; and locations such as Verdun, Somme, La Bassee, and Flanders.

Biographical / historical:

Robert Sennecke, who created three of the five albums, was a well known photojournalist in Germany during the 1920s. He was best known for his sports photography and ran a successful agency before succumbing to mental illness in the 1930s.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from F.A. Barnett Booksellers, April 19, 2014.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Sue Luftschein
Date Prepared:
2014 June
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2014-06-13T02:26-0700

Access and use

Restrictions:

Advance notice required for access.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder# or item name], World War I photograph albums, Collection no. 6060, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Location of this collection:
Special Collections
Doheny Memorial Library, Room 209
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189, US
Contact:
(213) 740-5900
specol@usc.edu
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