AUGUST 1916 – Four men in expensive contemporary clothes pose for the photographer during a walk on the countryside near Torgau in Germany. Scan & Edit © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
I recently stumbled upon this historical photograph that shows a group of four men outdoors, most likely in a large park taking a stroll. The clothes – including suits, waistcoats, and bowler or formal hats – indicate a period around the First World War. Two of the men hold umbrellas, a common accessory for outings at that time.
While this photo does not provide any further details as to the place or date, but there is a second image created in the same style and apparently at the same or very similar location. That image shows a women with two girls, and this image carries a handwritten note dated 5th August 1916. As location is mentioned Torgau.
This makes perfect sense as the forest near Torgau was a popular destination for weekend walks for the wealthy people of the town. Even more so as the world war was raging and people wanted to forget the concerns over the war for a while.
While the original photo was in a very bad shape I could recover it to the state you see above. Here is a direct comparison:
Anyway, I think it’s a very interesting photograph.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | Summer 1916 |
| Location | Torgau, Germany |
| Image Source | 8.9 x 14 cm black & white print |
| 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 | 10326 x 7108 Pixels |
| Copyright | Scan & Edit © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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