There are two main reasons why, before today, I had never heard of Willy Fritsch. Firstly, he died in 1973, over a decade before I was born, and secondly, and rather more importantly, he was a leading man in German silent motion-pictures, a genre I can say with full certainty that I have never indulged in.

I now know who Willy Fritsch was, and my new found knowledge of lesser known stars from by-gone era’s does not conclude there. I have spent the morning clicking my way through hundreds of picture postcards, starting in the 30’s, all the way into the 70’s. There are portraits of twin Dutch singers, leading ladies from Germany, child stars and of course the customary icon or two.

The image above, of Willy himself, typifies the sort of collection “Truus, Bob & Jan too” has compiled. It is a beautifully striking portrait, and while there is little for me to remember from the little I know of Willy Fritsch,  I get the feeling I won’t be forgetting that image anytime soon. A timeless portrait.

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