Color Photos of Adolf Hitler, His Inner Circle and Hangers-On

[steve2470]

http://life.time.com/history/adolf-hitler-color-photos-by-the-nazi-leaders-personal-photographer/?iid=lf%7Cmostpop#1

In the late 1930s, very few photographers were using color film. German photographer Hugo Jaeger was an early adopter, and when Adolf Hitler was introduced to Jaeger’s work, he liked what he saw.

“The future,” Hitler reportedly told Jaeger, “belongs to color photography.”

Between 1936 and 1945, Jaeger was granted unprecedented access to Hitler, traveling and chronicling, in color, the Fuhrer and his confidants at small gatherings, public events and, quite often, in private moments. Here, LIFE.com presents a small selection of photographs from Jaeger’s astonishing — and chilling — archive.

[Decoy of Fenris]

1. Absolutely awesome.

I love bits of history like this.

[mucifer]

3. Great website for old interesting photos:

http://www.shorpy.com/

I love looking at the old stuff.

The hitler stuff creeps me out because he killed 1/3 of the world population of my people.

[Decoy of Fenris]

5. Also this:

http://imgur.com/r/HistoryPorn

Aye, I don't think anyone can look at Hitler and think "Aww, honey, look, it's Hitler!" Still, it's interesting to see him so comparatively casual; I gave a listen to an old recording of his normal speaking voice, and it's scary how... normal he sounds. You always have this image of a larger-than-life tyrant hellbent on world domination, and listening to that tape, you realize how confused he is and how hopeless he sees his war becoming. It's creepy, to be certain.

[mucifer]

2. Creepy.

[earthside]

4. Creepy in hindsight.

But Hitler was a great politician.

Read accounts from the time and he was a charmer, was good with children, could glad-hand with the best of them.

We tend to forget because of the horrors of the Nazis and the Third Reich just how popular Hitler and fascism was at the time.

Even in this country.

[mucifer]

6. In college I watched "triumph of the will" with some other Jewish friends

We had to turn it off. It was way too disgusting for words. It's too personal.

[PCIntern]

8. Please don't forget how sharp their uniforms were!

Yes, they were 'great' politicians, just like the RWers are today: exaggeration, outright lying, perversities dolled up as righteousness, obsession with sin, obsession with race, obsession with religion, all that and more designed to work the masses up into a world-dominating lynch mob.

Great...just great...

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

7. nice pose, hitler.

[BeyondGeography]

9. He's looking pretty stressed at that 1941 Christmas party

Great photos.

[Nye Bevan]

10. Fascinating and VERY chilling. The color somehow makes it feel more "real".

Black-and-white photos have more of an "old movie" feel about them. But the color pictures kind of drive home that this stuff really happened.