Germany Third Reich. Adolf Hitler poster based on the work of Hans Toepper, printed by Ackermann Kunstverlag in Munich during the Third Reich (1933–1945). It features Adolf Hitler’s facsimile signature at the bottom and the printer’s code “A 8429 F.”

Original official portrait of Adolf Hitler from the Third Reich period.

The portrait, painted by Hans Toepper in 1933, depicts Adolf Hitler wearing the brown shirt of the NSDAP, the corresponding red armband with the black swastika in a white circle, the Silver Wound Badge, and the First Class Iron Cross from the First World War.

The poster is unusually large (37 × 30.2 cm), as Ackermann Kunstverlag usually produced postcards.

Hans Toepper
Hans Toepper (Johannes Otto Toepper, 1885–1956) was a German painter and graphic artist associated with the Düsseldorf School, specializing in landscapes, genre scenes, portraits, and illustrations. He trained at the School of Applied Arts in Danzig and, between 1904 and 1912, studied at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art under masters such as Albert Maennchen and Peter Janssen the Elder. In 1912, he settled in Munich and, after serving as a volunteer in the First World War, integrated into the cultural and political life of the city.

After the war, he first joined the DAP and later the Nazi Party (NSDAP), becoming a member of the Oberland League and participating in the failed Munich Putsch of 1923, for which he was awarded the Blood Order. His artistic work was strongly tied to National Socialism, with paintings and engravings of propagandistic character. He produced portraits of figures such as Carl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler, Erich Ludendorff, Hindenburg, and Adolf Hitler, and exhibited several times at the Great German Art Exhibition (1937–1940). Among his most notable works are German Symphony (1938), acquired by Hitler, and Judas (1940). Some of his pieces are preserved today in the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich.

Ackermann Kunstverlag Printing House
Ackermann Kunstverlag was a German publishing and printing house mainly dedicated to the production of postcards, prints, and artistic reproductions. Founded in Munich at the end of the 19th century, it became one of Germany’s most important postcard publishers, with wide distribution both nationally and internationally.

During the Third Reich and the Second World War, Ackermann Kunstverlag adapted to the political and cultural context of the regime. The company published postcards and graphic material of nationalist and propagandistic character, including portraits of leaders such as Adolf Hitler, military scenes, heroic motifs, and imagery linked to National Socialism. These images circulated both among the civilian population and at the front, serving as part of the regime’s everyday visual propaganda. At the same time, the publisher continued to release reproductions of classical artworks and more traditional subjects, although propaganda was predominant during the war years.

Dimensions: 37 × 30.2 cm