Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung

The first issue of the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung was released on January 4, 1892. From that moment on, it was published weekly on Thursdays. The founder of the newspaper was Otto Aisler, by which time he had already published the satirical magazine Lustige Blätter ^[1] . Such prominent graphic artists as Heinrich Zille and Lionel Feininger collaborated with Aisler Publishing House, but initially the new newspaper did not find an audience response. Some time later, her publication began to sponsor , but fundamental disagreements quickly began between the publishers on the issue of which topics should prevail in the newspaper. Aisler believed that readers should be attracted to scandals and killings, while Ullstein focused on more lively topics. As a result, nine months later, Ullstein completely bought control of Illustrirte from Aisler. After the death of Leopold Ullstein, his work was continued by his son Franz and Herman Dupont. Kurt Karfunfelshtein remained the chief editor for many years, later “ennobling” his name, becoming Corf ^[3] .

Gradually, in the illustrated materials of the Berlin newspaper, hand-drawn images began to be replaced by photographs. BIZ became the flagship of world photojournalism as the first mass publication with photographic illustrations for articles. This became possible with the introduction of offset printing technology ^[2] and bitmap graphics in 1901, which significantly accelerated the process compared to previously used wooden cliches. Illustrirte , already published in 1900 with a circulation of 100 thousand copies, benefited from sales through street newspapermen that began in 1904, and by 1910 the circulation reached half a million ^[3] . In addition to innovations in the process of illustration, the publisher Ullstein Verlag also invested in cheaper paper production processes and in the most efficient printing presses, so the selling price of the newspaper in the 1910s was only 10 pfennigs ^[2] . In 1914, BIZ was sold in a million copies ^[3] .

BIZ published articles about exotic countries, secular gossip, and celebrity interviews. After the outbreak of World War I, newspaper reporters prepared materials in trenches, infirmaries, and airfields ^[3] . During the years of record (including transcontinental) flights, the Berlin edition published their photographs for a whole U-turn; public interest was also aroused by panoramic shots taken from a basket of high-altitude balloons. Illustrirte's full-time photographer was , who regularly published sporting events in the newspaper. Germain Krul , Andre Curtes , Maurice Tabar , Lotta Jacobi , Umbo and other famous photographers collaborated with BIZ ^[4] .

Publications and individual images in BIZ have repeatedly caused a national resonance. So, the first page of the issue of August 24, 1919 was occupied by a large photograph of the newly elected Reich President Friedrich Ebert in the company of Reichswehr Minister Gustav Noske . Both politicians were captured knee-deep in water in short swimming trunks, which caused a scandal among the conservative part of the public ^[3] . The photos taken by Erich Zalomon in 1928 at one of the noisiest processes in the history of the Weimar Republic became sensational: although it was forbidden to bring cameras to the courtroom, the reporter, whom Deutschlandfunk calls one of the first paparazzi , developed a number of ways to circumvent the ban, including a hollow book inside, a specially prepared hat and a bandage on his hand ^[1] . BIZ signed an exclusive contract with Zalomon and subsequently often published his photographs of celebrities in an informal setting - including the famous 1930s portrait of Marlene Dietrich . In 1931, Furor made a photo essay by Willy Ruge Ich fotografiere mich beim Absturz mit dem Fallschirm (“I take pictures of myself during a parachute jump”) ^[4] .

Illustrirte publishers were among the first to introduce major news in the world of photography and photojournalism in their newspaper. In the last years of the Weimar Republic, the circulation of the newspaper reached two million copies, its format and photojournalism methods were adopted by such foreign publications as Life (USA) and Picture Post (Great Britain). The success of BIZ formed the basis of the Ullstein publishing empire, which produced many other newspapers and magazines, as well as books ^[2] . However, after the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, the Jewish Ullstein family lost control of this media empire. In the same year, Kurt Korf-Karfunfelshtein had to flee from Germany to the United States, where he played an important role in transforming Life magazine. Other Jewish newspaper employees did not have time to leave the country and ended up in concentration camps , including Erich Zalomon, who died in Auschwitz in 1944. BIZ survived the " Arianization ", since 1937 it was published by the Deutscher Verlag publishing house, affiliated with the NSDAP Central Publishing House ^[3] .

Recognizing the value of Illustrierte (now with a grammatically correct name ^[3] ), the Nazi leadership allowed the newspaper to remain politically unfriendly for some time, devoting the bulk of it to travel publications, secular gossip, and novels with a sequel and following the party line extremely carefully ^[1] . Only after the outbreak of World War II did the newspaper finally become an openly propaganda body publishing reports on military victories. As a result, her last issue was released on April 29, 1945, and after the end of the war she was not published ^[4] .

In 1956, publisher Axel Springer , a former fan of the pre-war BIZ , bought the rights to Ullstein Verlag trademarks from the Ullstein family and later used them in his publishing house . Thanks to this, the name Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung was used several times in the post-war years for one-time commemorative publications (one of which was dedicated to the state visit of US President John F. Kennedy to West Germany). Finally, in 1984 the name Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung was permanently assigned the Sunday supplement to the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper. Since 2002, the historical logo of the old edition has been used, and large-format photographs have returned to the first page ^[3] .