UNDATED – A portrait of Wilhelmine Rave of Süderauerriep near Krempe in Germany. Photo: Hans Martens, Krempe
The story behind the image
This historic cabinet photo from the Rößler lot shows Wilhelmine Rave from Audeich near Krempe. At least this is what a handwritten note on the back says. We also know the photographer: Hans Martens from Krempe. The photo studio was active for a long period, from 1890 to 1975.
While this does not sound like a lot of information, I’d estimate the age of the lady to be between 20 and 25. From looking at her clothes we can already estimate a production date of ‘after WW1’ (1918) to the end of the 1920s. What’s more, the studio location is very close to Audeich which is basically just a large farm outside Krempe.
The cabinet format was quickly getting out of fashion after WW1 and was being replaced quickly by the more versatile postcard prints. So I’d estimate the production date to be rather 1918-1922 than towards the end of the 1920s. Considering her estimate age, this would call for a range for her year of birth from 1893 (1918 minus 25 yrs) to 1902 (1922 minus 20 yrs). Well, well. It’s still a decade.
Yet I tried to find out even more and looked up potential hints on Ancestry – to no avail. And then I found a tree at FamilySearch which turned out to be a great help. All the information was matching: the name, the year of birth, and the location. The name of the lady:
Anna Bertha Wilhelmine Rave
- Was born on the 7th June 1894 at Süderauerriep which is just a stone-throw away from Audeich and Krempe. Her father was a local farmer.
- Married Johann Randl, a beer brewer from Bavaria, in November 1919 in Itzehoe, Germany.
- Had at least three kids, Anna Lise Berta, Johann Heinrich, and Ernst.
- Died in 1976 in Hemhof near Bad Endorf in Bavaria, just a year after her husband.
Since this image is from the Rößler lot, and she must have known Martha Minna Friederich née Rößler pretty well. Martha had moved around 1915 to the appartment of her husband Carl Emil Arnold Friederich who had been working in Krempe. Martha was just two years older than Wilhelmine which suggests that she might have been a close friend of Wilhelmine. (If not, why would she get and keep a cabinet photo of Wilhelmine?)
What a life! Growing up on a farm close to the Elbe river in Northern Germany, marrying a Bavarian guy and moving to Bavaria shortly after the wedding (which must have been a giant step for a girl from the North), giving birth to at least three kids, and surviving two world wars. That could be a good foundation for a novel or family saga.
Fascinating.
P.S.: I do not claim that the above writeup is the ultimate truth. Of course, it could be that there is a different Wilhelmine Rave, directly from Audeich. Or a lady that married a Mr. Rave and adopted his name? However, the names Audeich and Süderauerriep seem to have been used for the same location, so I believe that the story above is close to reality.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | c. 1919 |
| Photographer | Hans Martens, Itzehoe |
| Location | Itzehoe, Germany |
| Image Source | Albumen print, c. 10 x 14.4 cm, mounted, cabinet format |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 9045 x 13359 Pixels |
| Copyright | Photo © Hans Martens, Krempe Scan © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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