These exquisite ‘oil on board’ paintings by Adolf Hitler, ca 1911-12, were brought back from Germany after WWII by the renowned Dr. John K. Lattimer, a heroic doctor during the Normandy Campaign, who had the unique opportunity of being the staff urologist in care of the top Nazi defendants at the Nuremberg trials; Göring, Frick, Streicher, Ribbentrop, Speer, etc. In his various interviews and writings about Nuremberg, he discusses personal conversations and characteristics of each of those infamous personalities, especially Goring. Lattimer was one of the first on the scene of Göring’s suicide, and played a role in that forensic examination as well. Lattimer’s story does not end there. In 1972, he also was the first non-government physician to do a forensic examination of the John F. Kennedy assassination evidence, being famous for his support of the ‘magic bullet’ theory. Lattimer’s exploits are found on Wikipedia and also his many interviews are a “must-see” on YouTube. When Dr. Lattimer passed away, his collection of many different kinds of artifacts went on sale, and these paintings and Lattimer’s book “Hitler’s Fatal Sickness,” as well as a track and field trophy, letters, pictures–and his briefcase–were sold off. The consignor of these items was on hand at the Lattimer estate, where he obtained these items.
As for the paintings, Hitler used more than just watercolor as a medium. He painted in oils, on canvas, board and pasteboard. He repeat-painted multiples of many famous Vienna scenes and landmarks while he lived there. These paintings, of “Kaisers Kirsche” and the St. Basil’s Cathedral are rendered in ‘oil on board,’ and are published in Dr. Lattimer’s book. The paintings are complete, and free of damage, except for a small flake in the paint. Both bear the oval stamp of the Samuel Morgenstern Glass Shop in Vienna. Morgenstern met Hitler and was interested in his artwork, resulting in his helping sell many of them for Hitler. Morgenstern was Jewish, as were many of his clients. (In the late 1930s, Hitler sent Peter Jahn to Vienna to locate and purchase all of the artwork by Hitler that he could, and bring it back to Berlin ostensibly for destruction. After the war, Jahn sold many of the paintings he had located, obviously not having destroyed them–). The tragic end of Mr. Morgenstern in the Lodz Ghetto in 1943 is the peak of irony, insofar as having befriended Hitler, helped him, then ended up a victim of the Nazi racial purges of the war 30 years later. In a sense, these paintings are historic to the extreme, and represent not only the art of Hitler, but also the incredible adventure of the journey of the paintings, and their individual handlers along the way. Price on Request, COA accompanies.
Some References:
John K. Lattimer, Urologist of Varied Expertise, Dies at 92 – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
(Many more sources exist on Lattimer’s acclaimed life).
