Christmas, 1942

DECEMBER 1942 – A mother and her two small kids explore Christmas gifts in their home in Kiel, Germany. Scan © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com


The story behind the image

Here’s another historic Christmas photo. My mother (on the right) had been born earlier that year, in July 1942, and this was her first Christmas. Sitting on the lap of Edith, she watches as her sister Editha unwraps her gifts. The family celebrated this Christmas at home in Kiel-Wik.

I like this photo because Edith looks happy and relaxed, and Editha’s slight motion blur indicates that it’s been like any Christmas when small kids are around – Editha was 1½ years old at that time – filled with joy and action. This is noteworthy as the second world war had been going on for some time, and life had already changed considerably for the people.

This image completes the historic Christmas series from the 1940s. Here are the links to the other images: 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946.

And with these thoughts I wish you a Merry Christmas!


The high resolution image

Capture Date24-DEC-1942
LocationKiel, Germany
Image Source6 x 6 cm print
Digital Image SourceEPSON Perfection 4870 Photo
Digital Image Source FormatTIFF, 48 bits/pixel, AdobeRGB
Edited Image FormatJPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB
Edited Image Dimensions2525 x 2688 Pixels
CopyrightScan © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com

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