Does the Jakobs Family Album contain Photos of German Jew Werner Adolf Goldmann?

This blog is Part 4 of a 4-Part Series on German Jew Werner Goldstein
Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, Part 3 is here.

Werner Adolf Goldstein, chemist and gold counterfeiter was a mysterious man. While I have uncovered the barest outline of his life, there are still many frustrating unknowns. The core mystery being… what became of him? But for now, we need to be patient and let these blogs do their work. One day, I am hopeful, a relation of Werner’s will reach out with helpful information.

In the meantime, let’s turn our attention to a series of photographs in the Jakobs family photo album. When Margarete visited Josef in Switzerland in July and August 1934, the couple took a LOT of photos. There are scenic shots, and shots of one or the other of them visiting such sights as the Rheinfalls, Lucerne, Flülen (at the head of Lake Lucerne), Geneva, etc. While a few photographs have writing on the back of them, most of them are blank. The genealogist in me looks remarkably like Edvard Munch’s painting, The Scream, at the thought of unlabelled family photographs. But with some sleuthing and matching landmarks, it has been possible to identify some of the places that they visited.

Josef & Margarete Raise a Toast

Now most of these photos are quite normal. Josef and Margarete in photos, either posing together or separate. In the photo below, we have Josef and Margarete toasting each other with what looks suspiciously like a bottle of champagne (gold foil around the neck). Toasting the success of counterfeit gold sales? Possibly.

The photograph looks suspiciously like it may have been taken in the Vitznau area on Lake Lucerne. I have been back and forth as to whether the photograph was taken on one of the paddle steamers that plied (and still ply) Lake Lucerne. I do know that Margarete and Josef took a steamer from Lucerne to the far end of the lake. The floor looks like ship’s decking. But then, the shadows being cast on the tables look rather like foliage of some sort. It is hard to tell, but it is a windy day as the table cloths blow in the breeze. A nice summer’s day for a sip or two of champagne.

But if one looks closer… the mystery begins. There is a third glass on the table. And a jacket hanging on the chair. Is there a third person? Who is it?

Photograph 1 – Champagne Toast

There is indeed a third person; a man with slicked back hair, raising a toast with Margarete. A slightly different scene, with no jacket on the chair, a glass of champagne on the tray instead of the bottle, a purse on the table to the right of the photograph. It’s rather like a game of “Find 10 things that are different between these two pictures”. But Margarete is wearing the same dress and the shadows all look the same, or relatively close. But who is the mystery man? Clearly not a servant or driver if he is drinking champagne with Josef and Margarete. A friend? Perhaps Werner Adolf Goldstein?

And here he is in a close-up. Who is he? No-one that I have seen in any of the other Jakobs family photographs. He is only in these Switzerland photographs. And… this is not the only photograph.

Photograph 2 – Posing with the Car

Josef and Margarete (and probably Werner) had a car at their disposal while in Switzerland, with a Zurich license plate (ZH9511). I am not a vintage car aficionado, so if anyone can identify the car, please leave a comment!

Below, we have a photograph of Margarete and Mystery Man posing with the vehicle. Perhaps they were on a trip to Geneva? Or to Lucerne? Or Italy? The trees are rather too anonymous to help identify the location. Again, the pose seems a bit too casual for Mystery Man to be a servant or driver.

I do believe this is the same man as above – the swept back hair, high forehead, slim build and strong chin all look similar. How old is he? Hard to tell. I would say younger than 36-year old Josef. Could he be 23 years old? Possibly.

Photograph 3 – Changing a Flat Tire

Whatever adventure they were on, they clearly had a flat tire and needed to stop and change it. We can see some interesting features in the photograph below. The car had a folding sunroof! And the men are wearing tennis visors, with a peak and attached hair-net. I imagine that with the sunroof open, and some fast driving, the wind might have mussed their hair a bit too much. We can also see a couple of travelling trunks tied to the back of the vehicle, indicating that this was not a simple day trip. And if we zoom in on the trunk stickers, we can see that the largest one on each trunk is identical. And I can actually make an educated assessment as to what it says.

The upper words are relatively easy – Palace Hotel. The lower word is a bit more challenging but looks very much like Livorno. The Palace Hotel in Livorno, along the western Italian coast, south of Pisa and north of Rome. This one photograph gives us an important clue; that it is quite possible that Mystery Man travelled to Italy with Josef and Margarete. Perhaps this photograph was taken on the way back from Rome? Or on the way from Livorno to Rome? The mileage marker on the extreme right of the photograph seems to read 247 or 242. Given that Italy adopted the metric system in the 1860s, the mileage would be in kilometres. I suppose it is always possible that the two trunks on the back of the vehicle belonged to Margarete and Josef, with Mystery Man’s trunk in one of the rear passenger seats. Although that could have been uncomfortable for the rear passenger.

But, I digress. We are back to Mystery Man, who appears to be quite handy with a tire iron and car jack. He looks quite young in this photograph, and one can still identify his strong nose and chin. The tennis visor & hair net is an interesting fashion accessory.

Photograph 4 – In the Driver’s Seat

Clearly, they took turns driving. There is a similar photograph in the album of Josef (and even Margarete) perched in the driver’s seat. Note the suit jacket hung in the back passenger area. This, again, makes me think it unlikely that there was another trunk back there. The other notable feature on the photograph is the white oval disk on the back of the car. Even without zooming in, we can see that it is an imprinted plate with the letters CH on it, standing for the Latin name of Switzerland – Confoederatio Helvetica. Again, this suggests that the car was a rental car.

As we zoom in, we find that this is actually a fairly good photo of our Mystery Man. We can see his forehead above the tennis visor (peeping through the hair netting), which we would expect with his slicked back hair. That strong nose and chin (with a small cleft) are also present. I do have to admit that I think he has a rather smirky smile – perhaps he’s trying to look dashing and sexy.

Photograph 5 – Stopped for Tea

The final photograph is less helpful. Margarete is fairly well-lit but Mystery Man is in the shade of the tree. There is a Tea-Room to the right of the photograph but the writing to the left of Margarete is too fuzzy to read.

When we zoom in, we an see that the man under the tree is clearly our Mystery Man with his swept back hair, strong nose and chin.

Conclusion

Do these photographs depict Werner Adolf Goldstein? At this point, it’s impossible to say but I tend to lean towards the affirmative. The Mystery Man does not appear to be “hired help” like a driver or chauffeur. He is a friend who joins in a toast with Margarete. Perhaps some descendant or relative of Werner will find this blog and be able to tip us one way or the other.

And… if anyone can figure out what type of vehicle the three were driving, that would be great! I hate mysteries like this…

Sources

Etsy listing with a vintage tennis visor with attached hair net