Alfred Von Tirpitz 1916

Nicola Perscheid made this photo, Alfred Von Tirpitz, sometime before 1930, when he died. It is a portrait. I imagine Perscheid looking through the lens, asking Tirpitz to hold still. It's hard to look serious, isn't it? Especially if someone is telling you to look serious. The old black and white lends a certain gravity to the image, even though you can also see the humor in that incredible beard and bald head. I imagine he might have been a grump. Look at all those medals! Do you think he remembers what he did to get each one? Probably! I bet Perscheid took a lot of photos of important people, which is work, but it’s also a kind of exchange. What was it like to meet Tirpitz? These photos live on, and their exchange continues in our looking.