Captain Werner Ritter, billed as the Smallest Man in the World, is portrayed in this real photo postcard produced for the 1934 Century of Progress International Exposition in Chicago. The image was printed on AZO postcard stock and dated May 15, 1934 in a period hand, placing it firmly within the fair's second and final season. Ritter stood 18 inches tall and weighed under 20 pounds at age 21, according to a pencil inscription on the reverse.

Ritter poses with one hand on his hip atop a patterned geometric rug laid over a gravel courtyard, wearing a tailored white naval uniform with double-breasted brass buttons, shoulder rank stripes, a black bow tie, and a white officer's cap bearing a front insignia. Small black dress shoes and what appears to be a medal ribbon on his chest complete the ensemble. A latticed window and flowering shrub are visible in the background behind him.

The Century of Progress ran from 1933 to 1934 along Chicago's lakefront and attracted nearly 49 million visitors across its two seasons, featuring numerous sideshow and novelty attractions alongside scientific and industrial exhibits. Ritter performed as a featured attraction under the promotional title printed in bold capitals along the image's lower border.

The reverse bears a pencil inscription reading "Captain Werner Ritter (German) at age 21 Ritter was 18" tall and weighed under 20lbs," a cursive signature reading "Capt. Werner," the date "May 15/34," and catalog notation "LOBDZ 83."