An interesting image of a young man doing gymnastics at the bars. He is a member of the Kriegsmarine, the German navy. This press photo is also used for propaganda. Dated on the verso, "25 Juni 1943". Nice detail are the dirty socks of this man.

The German photographer Max Schirner (1891-1952) was well known for his strong photographs of sportsmen and -women. Schirner, a sports enthusiast, was born in Berlin in and was an active athlete, footballer and founding member of the "SC Charlottenburg" sports club. He initially worked as an editor for several editorials.
After the First World War, he became self-taught and started his own camera business and founded the "Schirner Pressebild Berlin" agency (from 1930: "Sportbild Schirner") in 1924. The agency delivered images all over the world. The journalist's expertise and speed, as well as his good connections to the athletes and their associations, made the photo agency a fixture in the industry: for example, it was one of the official reporters for the 1936 Olympic Games - and this despite the fact that its owner did not join the NSDAP.
As a photographer Schirner focussed on emotions of the athletes and created esthetic images of them.

Gelatine silver print in good condition, ca. 17,6 x 12,5 cm