Why did Hitler's PERSONAL photographer turn his focus on the plight of the Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland? Rare colour album depicts life in the Kutno Ghetto in 1940
- Hugo Jaeger’s photographs normally celebrate the glory and triumphalism of the Third Reich
- But in this set he depicts the tragic circumstances of Jews while allowing them to retain their humanity and dignity
- Taken in the Polish town of Kutno in 1939 and 1940 they have been released to mark the official establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto
The old man looks relaxed, almost happy chatting to the soldiers. He and most of the other Jewish citizens pictured here in 1939 and 1940, are smiling, seemingly pleased to pose for photographer Hugo Jaeger.
Yet we know, 40 years later, that these people, and thousands of others like them, were in fact prisoners, to be despised as ‘rats’ and ‘parasites’ in Nazi propaganda.
Even more surprising, Jaeger was Hitler’s personal photographer, enjoying unprecedented access to the Third Reich’s upper echelon, traveling with the Fuhrer to his massive rallies and photographing him at intimate parties and during private moments.
The photos, released to mark the official establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto in October 1940, were taken in the town of Kutno, 75 miles west of the Polish capital Warsaw.
