Heinrich Hoffmann

Heinrich Hoffmann was born in Germany on 12th September, 1885. After leaving school he worked in his father's photography shop. He joined the German Army where he worked as an official photographer during the First World War. His first book of photographs were published in 1919.

In 1920 Hoffmann joined the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) and soon became a close friend of Adolf Hitler. He became Hitler's official photographer and travelled with him everywhere. Over the next few years he took over 2.5 million photographs of Hitler.

Hoffmann's book, The Hitler Nobody Knows, was published in 1933. Other books on Hitler by Hoffmann included Jugend um Hitler (1934), Hitler in seiner Heimat (1938), Hitler in Italien (1938), Hitler Befreit Sudetenland (1938) and Das Antlitz des Führers (1939). In 1940 Hoffmann was elected to the Reichstag.

Hoffmann portraits of Hitler were used on Germany's postage stamps. Hitler acquired a large fortune as a result of Hoffman suggesting that Hitler should receive a royalty for every stamp sold.

Hoffmann was arrested at the end of the Second World War and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment as a Nazi profiteer. Heinrich Hoffmann died in Munich on 11th December, 1957.