Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Sat, Sep 19, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-09-19 11:00:00 2026-09-19 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/september-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-24380
Our September 2026 auction is anchored by two remarkable private collections, together making up about half the sale, alongside a broader selection of consignments spanning early photography, Civil War material, and vernacular imagery. The Soffer Collection, built with an eye for rarity and historical significance, is particularly strong in vernacular portraiture, Native American photographs, and Iowa Civil War imagery. The Palmer, Massachusetts collection, much of it found at Brimfield, centers on maker-marked daguerreotypes from the golden age of the American daguerreian studio.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 625

RPPC, Metropolis Machine Hall Scene, Ross Verlag, Berlin, 1927

Estimate: $400 - $500
Starting Bid
$200

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
A real photo postcard capturing the monumental machine hall set from Fritz Lang's landmark German Expressionist science-fiction film Metropolis, released by UFA and distributed by Parufamet in 1927. The card was published by Ross Verlag, a German postcard publishing company founded by Heinrich Ross in Berlin in 1919. This card belongs to the Metropolis series, numbered from 71/1 through at least 71/12, with production beginning between 1927 and 1928, and carries the series designation 71/4 printed in the lower right corner alongside the UFA logo and the credit "Regie: Fritz Lang."

The image presents a sweeping frontal view of the film's massive industrial set, dominated by a multi-tiered machine structure belching steam from enormous cylindrical stacks at its summit. Riveted pipe flanges of industrial scale occupy the lower foreground on both sides, while a central staircase ascends toward the machine's entrance arch, populated by uniformed worker figures at multiple levels. A dense crowd of workers fills the lower third of the frame, their anonymity emphasizing the dehumanizing scale of the machinery above. The title "Metropolis" is printed in bold serif type along the bottom border, with the publisher credit "Verlag 'Ross' Berlin SW 68" printed at the lower left.

Metropolis was directed by Fritz Lang, written by Thea von Harbou, and produced by UFA, with the photograph credited to UFA and Parufamet. Several images in the Ross Metropolis series were made from actual scenes in the film, and Ross published thousands of high-quality silver bromide real photographic postcards featuring popular celebrities and theatrical subjects.

Reverse bears standard divided-back postcard formatting in red, unused. Inscribed in pencil at top: "150." Inscribed in pencil at bottom: "KEN V."

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