Photo of Hitler in 1914

[Phidippides]

There is conjecture that this photo of Hitler at a rally was faked.  However, it would be interesting that this could be done so realistically in the age before Photoshop.

Not all people think it's a fake, though.

See the photo:

http://www.thelocal.de/national/20101014-30503.html

[Aetheling]

Not even the same moustache ...

[scout1067]

The picture is famous and I don't take a view as to its authenticity.  I do however, find it strange that the provenance and/or authenticity of the picture is being questioned now instead of say, 40-50 years ago in the immediate aftermath of the war.  I suppose it is possible the picture was faked, but improbable.  War fever was as high in Germany in 1914 as it was in every other country in Europe so it is not surprising that a young PRE-NAZI Hitler would be at a war rally, just about everybody else that could go was there too.

[Notch]

I find it amazing that back in those times propogandists were able to do what they were able to on photographs... look at some of the photos Stalin had altered... pretty convincing work without an inkling of what Photshop would become!

[Phidippides]

I find it amazing that back in those times propogandists were able to do what they were able to on photographs... look at some of the photos Stalin had altered... pretty convincing work without an inkling of what Photshop would become!

That's interesting.  I didn't know about that.  I looked for some images and there's a whole Wikipedia article on it, with images:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_of_images_in_the_Soviet_Union

[Aetheling]

That's interesting.  I didn't know about that.  I looked for some images and there's a whole Wikipedia article on it, with images:

This habit of removing pictures of "fallen angels" seems as old as ... picture.  I remember a case in Ancient Egypt where hieroglyphs of pharaoh Akhenaten-Amenhotep IV were erased after a religious controversy (he abandoned the traditional Egyptian polytheism and introduced a monotheistic worship centered on the Aten)

[Notch]

Sanitizing history... the oldest profession :-) Seriously though... isn't it interesting to realize that as much as it goes on today it was just as common even in ancient Egypt...

[Phidippides]

Here's another ancient example from Rome, of the emperor Septimius Severus with wife, son Nero, and....wait, who's the other kid?

You can kind of guess who was responsible for this.

[Aetheling]

Here's another ancient example from Rome, of the emperor Septimius Severus with wife, son Nero, and....wait, who's the other kid?

You can kind of guess who was responsible for this.

Damnatio memoriae ! 

Tondo of the Severan family, with portraits of Septimius Severus, Julia Domna, Caracalla, and Geta. Geta's face has been erased, because of the damnatio memoriae ordered by his brother.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damnatio_memoriae

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romannames1/a/EmperorsErased.htm