Los 4147

Hensky, Herbert
(1910-2005)The miner Adolf Hennecke in the former occupation zone of Germany

Aus dem Katalog
Fotografie des 19. – 21. Jahrhunderts
Auktionsdatum 5.6.2024

The miner Adolf Hennecke in the former Soviet occupation zone of Germany. 1948. 6 vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver prints. Each circa 18 x 13 cm. Each with photographer's/agency stamp, one annotated in red/blue crayon on the verso.

On October 13, 1948, miner Adolf Hennecke surpassed the required work standard four times in an East German coal mine. This event was orchestrated as a propaganda stunt to promote role models and productivity. Hennecke was rewarded with 1.5 kilograms of the strictly rationed fat, three packs of cigarettes, and a bottle of liquor, and he had the day before and after off. The "Hennecke myth" persisted well into the 1970s in the former GDR, and even longer among older individuals, before gradually fading away. – Some handling creases, most with surface irregularities to ferrotype surface, one slightly buckled, otherwise in good condition.