As has already been mentioned, the swastika has been a decorative symbol, totally unrelated to Nazi activities, for centuries. There are old oriental rugs that use this symbol. It is conceivable that the decoration on the old Alex stems from a non-Nazi decorative tradition and not from any affiliation with the Nazi party. You might consult the historical brass scholarship of Herbert Heyde, whose work may deal with decorations on older brass instruments. Given the ornate designs on the Alex valve caps, I can well imagine a craftsman of the time incorporating such a decorative motif into a design without any political imnplications, though the idea of a political intent cannot be ruled out. I will be interested to see a picture of the decoration on the horn and to learn how this story will end.
Tom Reicher -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Steve Haflich Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 9:07 AM To: The Horn List Subject: Re: [Hornlist] Old Horn Warning -- This is becoming increasingly more and more NHR. It is of interest here only as it relates to this oddity of decoration on Milton's old Alex. Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre <[email protected]> wrote: > I do know that I have owned the horn for forty plus years and the > gentleman that I bought it from had owned the horn for more than > forty plus years. Two consecutive ownerships of each forty years plus would date the horn to pre-1930. A swastika would not likely have been part of the engraving on a horn made prior to 1933. Klaus -- I think your assertion is wrong. At least you should support it with some evidence. I have no special knowledge in this subject, but the wikipedia page I cited previously is clear that various German use of the swastika started in the late 19th C and continued through WWII. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika#Western_use_in_the_early_20th_century and the immediately following section on Nazi use. The early Nazi party -- nominally a workers party -- officially adopted the swastika in 1920, and it was in unofficial use earlier. This is a quote from wikipedia: In the wake of widespread popular usage, the Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) formally adopted the swastika (in German: Hakenkreuz (hook-cross)) in 1920. This was used on the party's flag (right), badge, and armband. It had also been used unofficially by its predecessor, the German Workers Party, Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (DAP). Hitler's became chairman of the party in 1921. It and its DAP predecessor had alway been somewhat radical nationalistic, but in the 1920's and early 1930's the party had not committed the monstrosities for which it became infamous. The implications of the swastika around, say 1930, was not the unalloyed evil we understand today. One can only speculate why the swastika is on the horn (although there are probably antique experts who could speculate with better knowledge). Perhaps some worker(s) at Alex were members of this worker's party, and added this decoration (highly disguised, as Milton has described) for the nationalistic pride and/or the artistic mysticism it then invoked in German culture. There are other mentions on wikipedia of highly decorated swastika designs used as emblems for these reasons. I have no basis for further analysis, but from the information available it is easy to imagine how the swastika could be used well before Hitler gained the Chancellorship of Germany in 1933. _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/treicher%40cooley.com This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. If you are the intended recipient, please be advised that the content of this message is subject to access, review and disclosure by the sender's Email System Administrator. IRS Circular 230 disclosure: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachment) is not intended or written by us to be used, and cannot be used, (i) by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) for promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
