Original Signed Photograph: One-Of-A-Kind. This is a fantastic signed period photograph of the infamous NSDAP Minister of Propaganda, Dr. Joseph Goebbels. The photo measures 4 7/8" x 6 3/4", and has been matted and glazed in a frame measuring 10 1/2"W x 11 7/8"H x 7/8". The photo shows Dr. Goebbels shaking the hand of an NSDAP official, whose armband signifies the party rank of Reichsleiter (National Leader), the same rank that Goebbels held. We are unfortunately not able to identify which of the known holders of this rank is picture. There were only 22 of these ever appointed, and they were all directly subordinate to the office of Führer.

The photo graph is signed Dr. Goebbels on the bottom, and close examination shows that this is indeed written on, and not part of the print.

A very interesting piece of German WWII Memorabilia, ready to add to your collection!

Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German NSDAP politician who was the Gauleiter (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the NSDAP Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 1945. He was one of A H's closest and most devoted acolytes, known for his skills in public speaking and his deeply virulent antisemitism, which was evident in his publicly voiced views. He advocated progressively harsher discrimination, including the extermination of the Jews during WWII.

Goebbels, who aspired to be an author, obtained a Doctor of Philology degree from the University of Heidelberg in 1921. He joined the NSDAP Party in 1924, and worked with Gregor Strasser in its northern branch. He was appointed Gauleiter of Berlin in 1926, where he began to take an interest in the use of propaganda to promote the party and its program. After the NSDAP came to power in 1933, Goebbels's Propaganda Ministry quickly gained and exerted control over the news media, arts, and information in NSDAP Germany. He was particularly adept at using the relatively new media of radio and film for propaganda purposes. Topics for party propaganda included antisemitism, attacks on the Christian churches, and (after the start of the Second World War) attempting to shape morale.

In 1943, Goebbels began to pressure A H to introduce measures that would produce "total war", including closing businesses not essential to the war effort, conscripting women into the labor force, and enlisting men in previously exempt occupations into the Wehrmacht. A H finally appointed him as Reich Plenipotentiary for Total War on 23 July 1944, whereby Goebbels undertook largely unsuccessful measures to increase the number of people available for armaments manufacture and the Wehrmacht.

As the war drew to a close and NSDAP Germany faced defeat, Magda Goebbels and the Goebbels children joined him in Berlin. They moved into the underground Vorbunker, part of A H's underground bunker complex, on 22 April 1945. A H committed suicide on 30 April. In accordance with A H's will, Goebbels succeeded him as Chancellor of Germany; he served one day in this post. The following day, Goebbels and his wife committed suicide, after having poisoned their six children with cyanide.