Description:

Olympics



1936 Berlin Olympics Rare Artifacts

 

Unusual German artifacts from the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, including vintage postcards, photographic prints, and souvenir silk-wrapped Olympic rings. Featuring amazing views of the Olympia-Stadion decorated in swastika flags; crowds saluting Adolf Hitler; the Hindenburg blimp; the torch relay; the parade of nations; and black American track and field gold medalist Jesse Owens. In very good to near fine condition.

 

The 1936 Olympic Summer Games (the 11th Olympiad) were held in Nazi-controlled Berlin, Germany between August 1-August 16, 1936. Almost 4,000 athletes from 49 countries participated in over 100 events. Hitler presided over the Olympia-Stadion, his new 100,000 seat stadium, which hosted opening ceremonies broadcast worldwide via television and radio. Footage was also collected by leading female Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, whose sports documentary film Olympia was released two years later.

 

The 1936 Olympics presented an outstanding public relations opportunity to the Nazis. An organized sporting event like the Olympics granted them a worldwide platform from which to demonstrate Nazi doctrines and practices, from eugenics to ultranationalism.

 

The Nazis coopted two previously established minor Olympics traditions (one ancient, one modern) to further advance their ideological agenda during the 1936 Olympics. The Olympic rings, for example, had debuted in 1920 to little fanfare, but the Nazi propaganda machine ran with the motif. A torch had existed in ancient Greece, but had never been carried in a relay. Yet the concept of the torch relay greatly appealed to the Nazi party's love of pageantry, so it was rebranded at the 1936 Olympics. This lot shows how the Nazis employed--and modified--both traditions to great effect.

 

The lot includes:

 

  1. Olympic rings souvenir, comprised of five interlocking chipboard rings wrapped in silk embroidery thread. In very good condition, with light overall fading, isolated stains and minor bare spots. 7.75" x 3" excluding holder.

 

  • Three unused German language black and white postcards. Some gentle curling.

 

a. "Olympische Spiele Berlin 1936. Jesse Owens (U.S.A.) hält mit 10,3 den Weitrekord."

 

American athlete Jesse Owen's 4x gold medal winning performance at the Summer Olympics was viewed with                 especial interest since he challenged the Nazi belief in Aryan racial superiority.

 

b. "Reichssportfeld. Schwimmstadio mit Blick auf die Deutsche Kampfbahn."

c. "Reichssportfeld. Olympia -Stadion. Blick auf den Signalturm." This postcard is stamped at center top.

 

  • Eleven souvenir cards of Olympic events (a portion of a larger and complete set judging from the numbering system), accompanied by a German language key entitled "Die feierliche Eröffnung der Olympischen Spiele." [trans: The Solemn opening of the Olympic Games.] The black and white photographic prints mounted on stock cards measure 2.75" x 3.5" and are each numbered in stone at lower left. Images include 13, 14, 16-24 (missing 15).

 

Incredible mementoes from the 1936 Olympic Games, the last Olympics held before World War II. The next Summer Olympics in London in 1948 opened upon a dramatically different world: millions had been killed, empires had fallen and nations had been reshaped, Hitler was dead, and the Nazi Party was destroyed.

 

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May 15, 2019 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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