Large photograph documenting the destruction of Jewish shops by the Nazis during Kristallnacht (“The Night of Broken Glass”). Taken by the London-based photo agency “Planet News” on November 12, 1938.
On the reverse, a clipped newspaper caption reads: “The latest anti-Jewish purge in Germany resulted in the destruction and looting of property by mobs. Above is just one of the many Jewish shops wrecked in one of Berlin’s main streets.” The photograph shows male and female passersby observing the damage inflicted on the fashion store “Hemanns & Brotzheim.” All the shop’s display windows were completely shattered by the Nazi rioters.
The night between November 9 and 10, 1938, marked a violent and coordinated pogrom across Germany and Austria, carried out under orders from the Nazi regime. Within hours, more than 7,500 Jewish-owned shops were torched, looted, and destroyed: windows smashed, merchandise stolen, buildings vandalized, and the streets filled with shards of glass, giving the event its name, Kristallnacht. In addition to the shops, hundreds of synagogues and private residences were destroyed, dozens of Jews were murdered, and approximately 30,000 were arrested and sent to concentration camps. This event marked the point at which Nazi violence became overt, systematic, and state-sanctioned – and when the Jewish community realized it was facing a deadly turning point.
28×22 cm. A crease runs along the top portion of the photograph. Good condition.
