“Rundfahrten”

Looking at old photographs it is often difficult to figure out when and where they were taken. In these cases, one needs to look at the objects in the picture. Automobiles provide good clues, yet these clues often point you in unexpected directions. This post begins a series of posts on using automobiles to elicit more information from a photograph, but also, I find these older cars trigger a sense of history. They offer a tangible benchmark of the state of various dimensions of the past — technology, design, style, culture, etc.– that are comparable to the now.

The photographed open-air bus, branded “Käse’s Rundfahrten”, was used by the Käse sightseeing tour company based in Berlin, Germany. The term “Rundfahrten” translates to “round trips” or “tours”. Available information suggests the company specialized in organized excursions around Berlin and its surrounding areas.

My grandmother is in the third row, far side, wearing a black hat. My grandfather is one row behind, again on the far side. The photograph thus places them in Berlin, but when?

There are several clues in the picture that help triangulate on a date. Behind the bus we can see the signage naming the Mitteldeutsche Creditbank, which operated under its original name from 1856 to 1929. So this photograph had to be taken before the end of 1929. The style of hat worn by the women suggests mid-to late 1920s. As well, open-air buses did not become popular until the late 1920s. Based on available records, Käse’s Rundfahrten was operating in Berlin between 1926 and 1939. While a lack of available records is not sufficient to categorically state 1926 as the earliest time, economic factors offer some support for that estimate. Between mid-1922 and late 1923, Germany was destabilized by hyperinflation and thus the economy was not stable enough to support wide-spread leisure activities like sightseeing. It would certainly take a few years before touring companies would start operating. So while 1926 may not be a solid date, it is within reason.

With that information, this picture positions my grandparents in Berlin, sometime between 1926 and 1929.