Eberhard Thost 1926 Hamburg Business Registration – Police-Certified Copy 1943

Description

This is a Hamburg police-certified copy, made in 1943, of the 1926 business registration of Karl Gottfried Eberhard Thost, born in Hamburg on 21 July 1896. The name, date and place of birth correspond to the Hamburg shipowner and collector of modern art Eberhard Thost (1896–1990), and the document very probably relates to him. It retains its 50 Reichspfennig fee stamp with Hamburg police cancellation and a handwritten certification.

What does the document record?

Headed Abschrift (copy), it reproduces Gewerbeanmeldungsschein Nr. 323 of 1926, issued by the Polizeibehörde Hamburg, Abteilung III (Gewerbe- und Verkehrspolizei). It records that:

• Karl Gottfried Eberhard Thost, born 21 July 1896 in Hamburg,
• residing at Leinpfad 104,
• registered an independent business as a Kaufmann (merchant),
• with business premises at Brandstwiete 29,
• on 11 February 1926.

The 1926 text closes with “J.A. (Gez.) Fricke”. Gez. (gezeichnet, “signed”) shows that the original certificate bore Fricke’s signature; on this copy the name is typewritten, so it is not an autograph.

What is the 1943 certification?

At lower right, the copy is certified “Für richtige Abschrift” (true copy) in Hamburg, dated in manuscript 27.8.1943, under Der Polizeipräsident, 32. Polizeirevier, Im Auftrage. It carries a handwritten signature, which appears to read “Zorn”, above the rank Meister d. Schutzpolizei. A 50 Reichspfennig fee stamp is attached and cancelled with the circular stamp of the Hamburg Polizeipräsident, and a fee of 50 Pfennig is noted in manuscript.

Who was Eberhard Thost?

Eberhard Thost (1896–1990) was a Hamburg shipowner and a collector of modern art. The Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen record him in the provenance of August Macke’s Badende Mädchen mit Stadt im Hintergrund, possibly acquired from the Galerie Rudolf Probst in 1937/38. His links with modern design go back to the 1920s: the Bauhaus weaver Gertrud Arndt is recorded as working on a commissioned carpet for Thost.

The document itself does not state the profession or collecting interests of the man it records. The identification rests on the coincidence of full name, date and place of birth and Hamburg mercantile activity, and I present it with that degree of certainty.

Why collect it?

The document crosses several fields: Hamburg commercial and local history, German administrative practice in the 1920s and 1940s, period fiscal stamps, and the biography of a collector connected with German modernism. For more on reading German administrative papers of the period, see our collector’s guide to WW2 German documents. It is an early documentary trace of a man later known for his engagement with modern art and design.

Collector’s Note

Administrative documents rarely survive for figures known mainly through their collections. This record names Eberhard Thost in his own commercial capacity, years before Eberhard Thost appears in the provenance of modern paintings.

Condition

Good condition for an administrative document of its age:

• Fold lines, handling marks and light age toning.
• Minor edge wear and creasing.
• Typewritten text clear and fully legible.
• Fee stamp present with clear police cancellation.
• Handwritten 1943 certification and signature clearly visible.

The document has not been cleaned or restored. The photograph shows the actual item offered and forms part of this condition description.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the original 1926 certificate?
No. It is an officially certified copy made in 1943, as the heading Abschrift states.

Is there an original signature?
Yes: the handwritten signature of the certifying police officer in 1943. The name Fricke is typewritten.

Is the man named the collector Eberhard Thost?
Very probably. Name, date and place of birth match the documented collector Eberhard Thost (1896–1990) of Hamburg.

Historical Responsibility Notice

This document is offered exclusively as a historical artefact for collecting, preservation, education and research. The state emblem on the 1943 fee stamp and cancellation forms part of its original administrative context. Autographs & Militaria does not endorse or glorify the ideology or political system it represents.

References & Further Reading

• Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, August Macke, Badende Mädchen mit Stadt im Hintergrund – provenance – Eberhard Thost (1896–1990), Hamburg.
• Bauhaus Kooperation, Gertrud Arndt – biography – commissioned carpet for Thost.