ROYAL INTEREST: AN ALBUM OF SILVER GELATIN PHOTOGRAPHS

ROYAL INTEREST: AN ALBUM OF SILVER GELATIN PHOTOGRAPHS (from original press negatives), ranging in size from 12.5cm x 17.75cm to 17cm x 23.5cm, documenting the visit of His Royal Highness, Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor and former King of England, to the Mercedes Benz Factory in Germany during his 1937 tour of the country, accompanied by his new wife, the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson. Of the photographs, eight include German inscriptions on verso, identifying the subjects featured or describing the scenes shown, including two referencing Rudolf Caracciola, a German Mercedes Benz racing driver and six-time winner of the German Grand Prix. Photographs feature views of Mercedes Benz vehicles, factory workers, uniformed Nazi officials, crowds of onlookers, a seated dinner event, a ceremony with music and a speech, a parade of sorts, and much more. The 1937 visit of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to the Mercedes Benz factory in Nazi Germany was allegedly purposed not as an action in support of the Nazi regime, but as an opportunity for the Duke's new wife, Wallis Simpson, to experience a state trip. Simpson was actually the reason for the Duke's very recent abdication of his throne as the King of England. The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominions saw her multiple divorces as too controversial, and essentially forced Edward VIII to choose between his intended marriage to Wallis and his throne. The newly married couple arrived in Germany by rail, and were shown around by Robert Ley,(pictured) a member of Hitler's inner circle and the man in charge of the Duke's visit. On this trip, opposed by the British government, the Duke met Adolf Hitler and appeared to give a Nazi salute as he stood among some of Hitler's uniformed henchmen (photographs of these events are not included in the collection featured here). Some believed that the former king was in favor of an alliance with Germany, and this was not lost on the Führer himself, as, according to Albert Speer, he lamented, "I am certain through him permanent friendly relations could have been achieved. If he had stayed, everything would have been different. His abdication was a severe loss for us."