By the time WWII stumbled to a close, pictures of Adolf Hitler had permeated every possible media platform available at the time. His mustache, his dark, slicked-back hair, and his disturbingly clear gaze had peered out at Americans – and the rest of the world – for the better part of five years.
As the Allied Forces closed in on the Axis in 1944, rumors and fears began to run rampant among both government and civilian groups that Hitler might change his appearance in an attempt to disappear.
This fear led legendary makeup artist Eddie Senz to create a series of images of Hitler – or at least, of how Hitler might look, should he choose to disguise himself in order to disappear.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
Eddie Senz said that he came by his love of makeup and sketching naturally – his father was the makeup director for the Metropolitan Opera and often took his son to work with him. Senz spent his career beautifying movie stars, stage stars, and, in one fairly bizarre incident, President Lyndon Johnson’s family (You can listen to a recorded phone call here, in which Johnson claims to be too poor to pay Senz much for his considerable services). In his day, Senz was the reigning authority on beauty, and he often dispensed tutorials and tips in magazines and newspapers.
It was rumored that the government had requested the modified photos of Hitler – at least, that’s what the New York Times reported in 1944, when they ran Senz’s images alongside an article about the Nazi leader’s potential disappearing act.
“These changes are illustrated above from suggestions by Eddie Senz of New York, make-up expert for the screen, stage and opera,” read the caption. “According to Mr. Senz, the hardest feature to hide is Hitler’s eyes—which he says ‘are the most remarkable I have ever seen.’”
