E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSI've been fascinated by the Stasi, the spy agency in the former East Germany, since I read Anna Funder's mesmerizing book Stasiland. So I was amused to see a set of archive pictures distributed by Reuters today that show Stasi officers playing dress-up back in the day.
Reuters
A set of undated handout pictures show officers of the former East German Ministry for State Security, known as the Stasi, presenting a series of outfits.
Reuters reports from BERLIN:
Spies from former communist East Germany demonstrate the art of disguise by donning fur wigs, fake mustaches and dark glasses in a Berlin exhibition of recently uncovered and once highly classified photographs.
German artist Simon Menner, who put together the exhibition "Pictures from the Secret Stasi Archives," said it should show how something that seems harmless, such as these images that could be shots from a spy film spoof, can harbor danger.
"These were used during courses on how to dress up and blend into society," the 33 year-old artist said. "They seem pretty absurd now, but it was meant seriously -- this is evil stuff." Continue reading.
Reuters
The exhibition runs at Morgen Contemporary in Berlin until August 20th. See more of the images gathered by Simon Menner in an article he wrote for the photography blog Conscientious. And if you can understand German, try poking around the Stasi archive yourself.
Leave a Comment:
Dude... that's obvious! The guy on the right and on the left are the same guy.
3 Gays !!!!!!!!!!
REALLY... you think! Actually it's the same guy in all six pictures.
No way! The guy in the middle is obviously someone else... or is the red cardigan causing confusion...
I'm starting to see why East Germany failed....their spies weren't very good.
Even for an exhibit, don't you think you'd switch sunglasses to at least make yourself look different?
They look like bad Halloween costumes and makeup.
That was my first thought as well.. or bad costumes from a bad 60's spy movie.
Master of disguise? Not!!!
OMG All we're missing is Mini Me :)
Is this meant to be an Austin Powers spoof? I cannot stop laughing,...
Austin Powers...EXACTLY. That was my first thought. Thank you for saving me from having to post!
LOL, Benny Hill came to mind as well.
That guy in the middle looks like Mr. Bean lol.
it's the mole, moley moley moley
Im suspicious of every one of those outfits...no wonder they failed.
Groovy baby, yeah shagadelic!
hahahahahahah!!!!
Looks like an SNL skit to me.
You have simultaneously educated about an interesting corner of cold war history but egregiously ignited at least 6 new hipster fads. That one on the bottom right even has TWO SLR'S!!!! 40,000 hipsters just had a hipstergasm reading this. Great. Fantastic. More hipsters. That's just what we need.
Where's your sense of journalistic responsibility?
Bottom left is wearing jorts. For the love of little baby newborn Jesus, it's like you teleported him from east Burnside, Portland, 40 years into the past, just to take this photo.
So the East Germans figured out how to dress and look like - a nerd? Wow. I wonder how well that worked out fro them.
Benny Hill needs some different pairs of shades.
ha-ha! My thoughts exactly! Top row, left also looks like a bad attempt to look like Alexander Mundy, "It Takes A Thief".
LMAO, this can't be real. It looks like Dan Akroyd in a SNL skit.......
Two wild and crazy guys? lol
All I can think of is Austin Powers saying, " Shall we shag now, or shall we shag later? How do you like to do it? Do you like to wash up first? You know, top and tails... whore's bath? Personally, before I'm on the job, I like to give my undercarriage a bit of a 'how's your father'!
That's not my bag.
(Pic 1) Dat (Pic 2) iss (Pic 3) Horst!!
East German Spy Archive?? It looks more like they found Benny Hill's dressing room..
See the similarities... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj6gRX7-NgM&feature=related
I wonder if they also used the theme music.
My Berlin Auntie told me that after the Wall fell there was a interest in Mercedes cars from the people who were in the East but they had to travel to west Berlin to the dealership. Traffic was heavy as the two halves were just reunited so the owner of the dealership decided to build a branch in the east side of Berlin. He found a location with enough parking to show the cars and a building for the salesman. As time went by he was disappointed in the sales. He was told that the building was a former Stasi station and the people there thought it was a front for the Stasi secret police who were working undercover so they stayed away.
This is a joke right? Those guys look like some Mike Meyers spoof.
pink panther want a beez " kato" we're are you my little yellow friend"
We laugh at these now, because they look ridiculous and clearly obvious, but when I changed by glasses from gold rimmed to thicker dark rimmed the stores started giving me a difficult time with my debit card and ID. A few wouldn't take it and I either couldn't buy my chosen items or I had to use cash. Now that's ridiculous.
Most people are completely unaware of their surroundings, unobservant and unable to make a clear ID after a quick glance or even a good look.
OMG, my neighbor dresses like this guy! I'm calling the FBI.
I was hoping spies actually looked like James Bond but, alas, they are actually a spitting image of Austin Powers.
It's Austin Powers!!!
It's Austin Powers!!!
Austin Powers spoof, exactly! roflmao!
I think I bought a car from that guy on the upper right once....
........... or maybe it was a weinerschnitzel. I forget.
Worse disguises, ever!!! No one noticed only because they were being polite for not staring.
WTF...Its like taking off Clark Kents glasses ...