Official photographer of the Nazis who took the famous picture of Hitler on the Odeonplatz in Munich, 8/2/1914. He joined the German Army where he worked as a photographer during WWI at the French front. Discharged in 1918 he resumed work as press photographer and began to cover the political revolution in Munich. His first book of photographs was published in 1919. He joined the NSDAP in April 1920 and took over management of the antisematic magazine "Auf Gut Deutsch", a weekly magazine about order and rights. He started to make pictures of the Nazi leaders like Hermann Goering and Rudolf Hess, and was chosen by Hitler as his official photographer. The two became close friends and Hoffmann's photographs were published as postage stamps, postcards, posters and picture books. Following Hoffmann's suggestion, both he and Hitler received royalties from all uses of Hitler's image, even on postage stamps, which made the photographer wealthy. Hoffmann belonged to the group of intimates around Hitler and followed him closely with his camera at all events. He enlarged his firm and had at one point 300 workers. In 1933 he was elected to the Reichstag. Eva Braun, friend of his daughter Henriette and Hitler's future mistress, worked in his shop. In April 1945, Heinrich was arrested near Oberwössen, Bavaria, by American forces. He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment as a Nazi profiteer, but after an appeal the sentence was reduced to four years imprisonment and the seizure of his property. Upon release from prison in 1950, he settled in the small village of Epfach on the outskirts of Munich where he died 7 years later.
A large archive of Hoffman's photographs was seized by the United States Army during the Allied occupation of Germany. These are now held by the National Archives and Records Administration and comprise an important source of images for scholars of the Third Reich. These photographs are in the public domain in the US owing to their status as seized Nazi property, otherwise their copyrights would not yet have expired.
A large archive of Hoffman's photographs was seized by the United States Army during the Allied occupation of Germany. These are now held by the National Archives and Records Administration and comprise an important source of images for scholars of the Third Reich. These photographs are in the public domain in the US owing to their status as seized Nazi property, otherwise their copyrights would not yet have expired.
Official photographer of the Nazis who took the famous picture of Hitler on the Odeonplatz in Munich, 8/2/1914. He joined the German Army where he worked as a photographer during WWI at the French front. Discharged in 1918 he resumed work as press photographer and began to cover the political revolution in Munich. His first book of photographs was published in 1919. He joined the NSDAP in April 1920 and took over management of the antisematic magazine "Auf Gut Deutsch", a weekly magazine about order and rights. He started to make pictures of the Nazi leaders like Hermann Goering and Rudolf Hess, and was chosen by Hitler as his official photographer. The two became close friends and Hoffmann's photographs were published as postage stamps, postcards, posters and picture books. Following Hoffmann's suggestion, both he and Hitler received royalties from all uses of Hitler's image, even on postage stamps, which made the photographer wealthy. Hoffmann belonged to the group of intimates around Hitler and followed him closely with his camera at all events. He enlarged his firm and had at one point 300 workers. In 1933 he was elected to the Reichstag. Eva Braun, friend of his daughter Henriette and Hitler's future mistress, worked in his shop. In April 1945, Heinrich was arrested near Oberwössen, Bavaria, by American forces. He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment as a Nazi profiteer, but after an appeal the sentence was reduced to four years imprisonment and the seizure of his property. Upon release from prison in 1950, he settled in the small village of Epfach on the outskirts of Munich where he died 7 years later.
A large archive of Hoffman's photographs was seized by the United States Army during the Allied occupation of Germany. These are now held by the National Archives and Records Administration and comprise an important source of images for scholars of the Third Reich. These photographs are in the public domain in the US owing to their status as seized Nazi property, otherwise their copyrights would not yet have expired.
A large archive of Hoffman's photographs was seized by the United States Army during the Allied occupation of Germany. These are now held by the National Archives and Records Administration and comprise an important source of images for scholars of the Third Reich. These photographs are in the public domain in the US owing to their status as seized Nazi property, otherwise their copyrights would not yet have expired.
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