Paper Empires

These paper cut-outs developed from toys into a historically important reflection on the German military and social classes from the early nineteenth to the early twentieth century, culminating in their proliferation during the rise and reign of the Third Reich. They make it possible to take a tour through German military and political history, from the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt in 1806 right up to the Maginot Line in 1940. These German paper soldiers, or papiersoldaten zum ausschneiden are, without a doubt, unique visual images that, nowadays, are similar to archeological artifacts, which are very hard to find on the market. Even today, the number of preserved or catalogued images in German museums is very small, so this book, showing thousands of figures in 173 color images, is a an essential collection.