Description
This is a marvelous oversized original photograph of Kaiser Wilhelm II aboard his royal yacht the S. M. Y. Hohenzollern. The Kaiser took great pride in both his Navy and his yacht. He spent a great deal of time aboard it, visited much of Europe and beyond. The photograph is mounted on a stiff backing that measures 6 ½” x 8 ½.” The photo itself measures 4 ½” x 6 ½.” In the scene he is on deck facing the camera in an Admiral’s uniform (he had not yet promoted himself to Großadmiral). He is accompanied by several women in their finery, one of whom is most certainly the Kaiserin. A small buffet table is present, from which the ladies are taking food. A crewman uniformed in his summer whites stands with his back to the camera as he serves his Kaiser.
The S. M. Y. Hohenzollern was on a cruise which was to take it from Germany to Turkey and on to Jerusalem. The date and the name of the royal yacht are written in pencil at the bottom of the cardboard backing. We can see two Turkish soldiers at attention facing a German officer. The photograph is dated 23 October 1898. Original photographs of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the S. M. Y. Hohenzollern are very hard to find. This example is excellent.
