Wonderful WWI Bavarian Pilot Photo Album with images through 3rd Reich Period

ARTIFACT: This is a wonderful WWI Bavarian Pilot's photo album, started in 1917 as a wedding/marriage record by his wife, who appears to have been the daughter of a General. I have had the pleasure of taking this album on consignment not once, but 2 times over the years, but still, the mystery continues: who was the pilot?? The album begins with a cover page that reads FUR BILDERGLUCKLIDJER SONNIGER FEIDEN, encircled with hand-painted roses. As I mentioned, the album starts off as a wedding album, with some very large format (6-3/4" by 9-1/2", 9" by 11-1/4" images) shots of the happy couple, the wedding flowers, and the family. Also thrown in are some 'background' shots of the pilot going back as far as 1909, presumably as an infantry or cavalry officer cadet. In some of the flower images, a painting of a high-ranking officer can be seen in the background. I believe this to be an earlier painting General seated at the center of the family shot. Sporting a nicely pierced Bavarian Commemorative Pilot badge in late 1917 or early 1918! Then there are some great full-dress wedding day images showing pilots in spiked helmets! Among other interesting shots, there is a great studio portrait of the pilot in 5-5/8" by 4-3/8" format, sporting his EK 1st Class, perhaps from when he received the award. Between the wars, the pilot appears to have kept active, there are shots of him in uniform from 1920/21, 1926/27, 1929-33, and finally into the Nazi Luftwaffe period. The couple had a son not long after the war ended, and the album charts him growing up to manhood to follow in his father's footsteps as a Luftwaffe Pilot. Sadly, there are no more pictures of the son after 1941, and guessing from the images of him in short sleeve shirts and horseback, he probably met his end in the skies over North Africa. The latest image added by the original owners appears to be an anniversary shot of the still-happy from April 4th, 1963. A secondary owner of this album appears to have nicely added what must have been loose photos into the back of the album, adding greatly to the wartime aviation images. Starting off with a photo postcard of the pilot in the rear seat of an Eindecker, then a nice posed photo postcard of the pilot with his Observer, and then some great shots of the pilot with other aviators in and around various aircraft. In the back of the album, sitting loosely, and as enigmatically as the elusive identity of the pilot, are 4 maple leaves, perhaps suggesting the changing seasons of the lives of the pilot and his wife in this album. The most recent owner of this book had the binding archivally reinforced to make looking through the album a pleasant and less delicate task. The work was beautifully done and is not overly noticeable unless one is looking for it. I hope someone can eventually attribute a name to this pilot and his family and solve some of the mysteries surrounding this wonderful photo album! The album has twenty-eight pages and overall there are 88 photos, of which 44 are full military in theme, 20 are civil mixed with aviators/soldiers in uniform, and 24 that are strictly civilian images. This is truly a unique WWI Bavarian Pilot's photo album, and it would be a treasure in anyone's collection.

VINTAGE: Pictures in album are circa 1909-1963, but album was begun circa 1917.

SIZE: Approximately 11-3/4" height by 16" width and 1-1/2" in depth.

MATERIALS / CONSTRUCTION: Fabric wrapped heavy card stock covers, fabric binding, and card stock pages with photographic paper images and some rag paper protectors still in place.

ATTACHMENT: Reinforcement added to original binding.

MARKINGS: Handwritten descriptive labeling on many pages.

ITEM NOTES: This is from a WWI German Aviation collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. CON/EK/AEJJX10 LBJJJX6/10 SAGJJX2/11

CONDITION: 7+ (Very Fine+): Album.