Like the Tellgmann collection, the Gutschmidt collection (299 photos) is not part of the original imperial photo collection. In 2001 Mr S.F. Schütz bought these photos at an auction in Sugenheim, Germany, and gave them to Huis Doorn on perpetual loan. This is an important donation, because this is a series which, like the Tellgmann collection, was recorded in and around Huis Doorn in the 1930s. But whereas Tellgmann was a professional photographer who worked on commission, Major Gutschmidt was an amateur photographer, and the dating on the photos shows that Gutschmidt was in Doorn in 1933 and 1935. He probably stayed in Doorn for some time as an 'ehrenamtlicher' member of the royal household, a job of honour that was held by more German veterans.
The photos were transferred to Huis Doorn in the original archive box, neatly arranged by subject, separated by pink tabs, which indicate the categories and the number of photos per category. In the top right-hand corner, the tabs are numbered in ink, from A to U. The major was obviously frugal, as the tabs had been used before: the pieces of paper are pasted over the numbers and letters. The front tab shows the photographer's name and address:
J. Gutschmidt
Major a.D.
Berlin-Schöneberg
Innsbrucker Str. 34
All photographs in the collection are mounted on three types of cardboard sheets: green (mounted with glue), cream-coloured (mounted with photo corners) and grey system cards (mounted with glue). The cardboard sheets are numbered on the front with a letter corresponding to the section followed by a number. Under or beside the photos is a white strip of paper on which the title is typed.
De onderwerpen die Gutschmidt in Doorn fotografeerde, lopen uiteen van het dorp Doorn, het poortgebouw en het Huis van binnen en van buiten, tot de houtplaats van de keizer en menukaarten uit het begin van de jaren dertig. Opvallend is dat Hermine, tweede vrouw van Wilhelm II, heeft geposeerd voor Gutschmidt maar de keizer niet. Van hem zijn alleen enkele snapshots genomen vanuit de salon van Hermine, als hij de eendjes aan het voeren is of op weg is naar de houtplaats. Binnen zijn alle woonvertrekken gefotografeerd, inclusief die van de in 1921 gestorven keizerin Auguste-Viktoria. In het poortgebouw fotografeerde Gutschmidt de kamer waarin hij logeerde.
The subjects that Gutschmidt photographed in Doorn range from the village of Doorn, the gatehouse and the House inside and out, to the emperor's woodshed and menus from the early 1930s. It is striking that Hermine, Wilhelm II's second wife, posed for Gutschmidt, but not the Kaiser. Only a few snapshots of him were taken from Hermine's salon, when he was feeding the ducks or on his way to the woodyard. Inside, all the living quarters were photographed, including that of Empress Auguste-Viktoria, who died in 1921. In the gatehouse, Gutschmidt photographed the room in which he was staying.
Gutschmidt's photos were apparently seen as newsworthy. According to the annotations on the backs of the cardboard sheets, five of the photos were sold or given to the New York Times and one to Scherl publishers for "Die Woche". It would be interesting to know whether these photos were ever published and if so, for what occasion. Prints of other photographs were offered for sale at the bazaars that Hermine organised on the grounds of Huis Doorn, in Berlin and in her home town of Greiz. These photos can be recognised by the letters HW (Herminen Hilfswerk); on the backsides 'Gutschmidt' is always written in pencil - a reference for repeat orders? It must not have been difficult to order these photos from Gutschmidt, as the numbers of the film and of the photo are written on the back of the photos and on the cardboard sheets. In Hermine's estate, the same series is known, but in a worse quality.
A small number of photos in the collection were not taken in 1933 or 1935, but in 1941 and later. For example, the famous photo of the emperor on his deathbed, and the photo of the mausoleum, both taken by the Doorn photographer W.N. van Oest.
These photos were later added to the collection. In 1944, Gutschmidt received a request from the German government to make a documentation of Huis Doorn, in case an allied bombardment would destroy the house. Gutschmidt assembled his earlier photos into a series and apparently supplemented these with some later photos by other photographers.
It is as yet unknown whether the archive box actually ended up with the German government; unfortunately, the auction catalogue does not indicate the origin of the pictures. What is certain is that the collection, complete and in its original box, is unique and, like the Tellgmann collection, is important for the reconstruction of the park and for the historical furnishing of the house.
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