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May 24, 2022.

The Hitler Forgery Industry

to Hitler Forgery Industry main page - to Droog Magazine

1941 | Certificates of Authenticity


The strange business of selling fakes, forgeries and other concoctions attributed to Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) and other Nazi criminals.

Hitlers exhibited in Utrecht (NL), September 1941
Hitlers in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, October 1941

Exchange rates/value of money - Late September 1941




Hitlers exhibited in Utrecht (NL), September 1941

In September 1941 the following happened in Utrecht, the Netherlands:

"Cultural ties Germany-Netherlands. Exhibition in Utrecht

On Saturday, the Utrecht University Library opened an exhibition on the subject of German-Dutch relations over the centuries. The exhibition gives an interesting overview of the history of the cultural ties between Germany and the Netherlands from Germanic times until the 20th century.

This chronological overview begins with a reference to the ancient Germanic civilisation. The old misconception that the Germanic people were a rough horde, dressed in animal skins, living from hunting and drinking beer from aurochs' horns, has been banished to the realm of fables since the discovery of the last thirty years. Beautiful utensils and ornaments from Old Germanic times have shed a surprising light on this past. (...)

Modern works of German art are also exhibited. Four watercolours by Adolf Hitler, pictures and posters that give an impression of Germany as a tourist country complete this overview.

Cultureele banden Duitschland-Nederland. Tentoonstelling te Utrecht. Het Vaderland, 's-Gravenhage, 16-09-1941.

https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010019874:mpeg21:a0082

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Hitlers in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, October 1941

Admitted: the 'Hitlers' exhibited in the famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam were only reproductions. Ad the question remains if the originals of these reproductions were authentic Hitlers or works made by ghost artists. Nevertheless:

(...) "The exhibition "Art of the Front" in the Rijksmuseum is without doubt a remarkable human document. Of course, when such large masses of soldiers are on the move, artists also go to war with them and it is not surprising that they reach for their pens and paint brush when a break comes. Then there are the men who, with more or less talent, practise drawing, modelling and woodcarving as a hobby. A not insignificant number of exhibitors belong to this group. It is difficult to assume that an exhibition like this expresses all that can be expressed in terms of feelings. Even the most interesting documents and memories of the world war only appeared years after the peace was concluded. (...)

It is known that Adolf Hitler was also busy drawing at the front in Flanders during the world war. In a showcase one finds prints of his watercolours, mostly impressions of the destroyed buildings. These watercolours are not made without skill and a drawing of a Flemish gothic church, which has remained intact, even has a remarkably pointed style. (...)"


It can be seen from the second paragraph that the reproductions of the "Hitlers" originate from Hoffmann's portfolio. The work discussed here, "Ardoye in Flandern, 27. June 1917". It is in all probability an authentic Hitler.

Kunst van het Front. Tentoonstelling in het Rijksmuseum. De Tijd, Amsterdam, 01-10-1941.
https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010929054:mpeg21:a0104

(…) "The Führer as an artist on the Western Front 1914-1918" is the name given to this collection, which is small but nevertheless very interesting. The paintings, which the Führer made as a soldier at the front, are indeed a very special note in this exhibition, which is fully worth visiting.”

Jaap Valk. De Waag, Haarlem, 03-10-1941.
https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010325217:mpeg21:a0022


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Exchange rates / value of money, late September 1941

Take notice: due to the war conditions and black markets these exchange rates, published  in De Tijd, a Dutch newspaper in German occupied Europe, probably do not necessarily represent the actual values. 

Exchanges Rates London (official)


1 UK pound = 4.02 US dollar.
1 US dollar =  0.25 UK pound  
1 UK pound = 4.45 Canadian dollar
1 Canadian dollar = 0.22 UK pound
1 UK pound = 17.35 Swiss francs
1 Swiss franc =0.058 UK pound

1 UK pound = 16.90 Swedish krone
1 Swedish kron = 0.059 UK pound
1 UK pound = 17 Brazilian real

1 Brazilian real = 0.058 UK pound

Exchanges Rates Berlin

1 Reichsmark (RM) = 2.50 US dollar
1 US dollar = 0.40 RM
1 RM = 2.10 Canadian dollar
1 Canadian dollar = 0.47 RM
1 RM = 1.32 NL guilder
1 NL guilder = 0.75 RM
1 RM = 40 B franc
1 B franc = 0.025 RM
1 RM = 5 (?) F franc
1 F franc = 0.20(?)  RM


Geld- en wisselmarkt. De Tijd, Amsterdam, 01-10-1941.

https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010929053:mpeg21:a0054



CPI Inflation Calculator – for US dollars.This inflation calculator uses official records published by the U.S. Department of Labor.
https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/

Convertisseur franc-euro. Pouvoir d'achat de l'euro et du franc. Le convertisseur franc-euro mesure l'érosion monétaire due à l'inflation.
https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/2417794


Historischer Währungsrechner. Österreichische Nationalbank (Geldwertrechner).

https://www.eurologisch.at/docroot/waehrungsrechner/#/


Value of the Guilder/Euro. International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam.
http://www.iisg.nl/hpw/calculate.php

Jérôme Blanc. Pouvoirs et monnaie durant la seconde guerre mondiale en France : la monnaie subordonnée au politique. International conference on War, Money and Finance, ” Monetary and Financial Structures: The Impact of Political Unrests and Wars ”. , Jun 2008, Paris, Nanterre, France. Pages 6, 11, 12, 16-17, 21, 22.

https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00652826/document


© Compilation Bart FM Droog, 2022.