Imperial Prussian 1st Garde-Regiment zu Fuss Illustrated Bildband 33 Plates

Original Imperial German illustrated commemorative regimental album for the 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß — the senior line infantry regiment of the Königlich-Preußische Garde (Royal Prussian Guard) and the most prestigious foot regiment of the Imperial German Army. The volume is the standard pre-1914 Bildband (picture book) format produced for serving guardsmen, regimental veterans, and the patriotic civilian market, with the title imprint I. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß / 33 Bilder mit geschichtlichem Vorwort (1st Foot Guards Regiment / 33 Pictures with Historical Preface) on the front wrapper. The volume measures approximately 9.5 by 6 inches (24 by 15 cm) in oblong landscape format, with a tan-buff card cover bearing a fine gold-embossed Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) ornamental frame typical of the German commercial printing of approximately 1905–1914, the title in gold capitals at the center and the contents tally below.

The front cover is present and the title remains legible with the gold embossed ornamental design clearly visible across the upper, lower, and side borders. The rear cover is absent. The page block is no longer attached to the original cord binding at the left spine, and the leaves are present as a loose stack rather than as a bound volume; the leaves themselves are clean and the printing of both the photographic plates and the historical preface remains sharp. The cord-tassel of the original side-bound construction is partially present at the left edge of the front cover.

The opening section is a printed historical preface titled Aus der Geschichte des Ersten Garde-Regiments zu Fuß (From the History of the First Foot Guards Regiment), set in clean letterpress with a decorative drop-capital and a small illustrative vignette of a regimental color with battle honors. The preface traces the regiment's lineage from the 1688 Regiment von Lottum — later Regiment Kronprinz Nr. 15 — through its elevation to Garde status by König Friedrich II. (Friedrich the Great) in June 1740 and the formation of the Bataillon Leibgarde and two Bataillone Regimentsgarde that constituted the senior household troops of the Prussian crown until 1806. The text continues through the parallel Regiment Kurprinz Nr. 6 lineage under Kurprinz Friedrich and Friedrich Wilhelm I., the formation of the lange Potsdamsche Königsregiment (long Potsdam King's Regiment) — the legendary Riesengarde (Giant Guard) of Friedrich Wilhelm I. — and the consolidation of the regimental ancestry into the Garde establishment of the eighteenth century. The narrative then traces the regiment's engagements through the First and Second Silesian conflicts (Mollwitz, Hohenfriedberg, Soor) and the Seven Years' campaigns of Lowositz, Kollin, Leuthen, Hochkirch, Liegnitz, and Torgau, the Napoleonic-era engagements with the French Revolutionary forces, and the subsequent decades of peacetime garrison service at Potsdam.

The 33 illustrated plates follow the historical preface and are divided between two distinct visual programs. The first group reproduces high-quality historical paintings of the regiment's famous engagements under the Frederician kings, including the dramatic Erstürmung des Kirchhofsportals von Leuthen, 5. Dezember 1757 (Storming of the Churchyard Portal at Leuthen, 5 December 1757) by the Imperial German military painter Carl Röchling — depicting the Prussian Guard's assault on the fortified churchyard during the decisive engagement at Leuthen, one of Friedrich II.'s greatest victories of the Seven Years' campaigns. Additional Friderician-era plates depict further regimental engagements of the period and represent the contemporary academic tradition of Imperial German military history painting in the 1890s and 1900s.

The second and larger group of plates comprises original photographic reproductions of the regiment in peacetime garrison and training life at Potsdam, made circa 1900–1914 and reproduced by fine halftone printing. The plates include views of:

— Kompagnie im Gefecht vor dem Waldrand (Company in skirmish action before the forest edge), showing a complete Kompagnie of guardsmen deployed in extended order across a meadow against a treeline, in dark Waffenrock tunics and white summer trousers, with full field marching equipment and Pickelhaube helmets visible across the firing line — a fine document of Imperial German infantry tactical doctrine before 1914.

— Auf dem Schießstand (At the rifle range), depicting a squad of guardsmen at the regimental shooting range, several rifles racked at the right, an instructor seated at the firing table, the squad in full parade dress with Pickelhauben and white summer trousers ranged against the earthwork backstop.

— Waschen des Drillichzeugs (Washing the drill uniforms), a candid view of guardsmen in fatigue dress washing their white Drillichzeug (drill cotton uniforms) at the regimental barracks pump and trough, capturing the daily routine of garrison life with notable documentary value for the study of Imperial German enlisted barracks life.

The remaining plates, present in the page block, cover the regimental routine across barracks interior, dining hall, weapons cleaning, parade ground drill, field maneuvers, mounted officers, the regimental colors and standards, the Königswache (King's Watch) guard mount, ceremonial duties at the Potsdam royal residences, and views of the regimental quarters in Potsdam — together constituting a comprehensive photographic record of the senior Prussian Guard regiment at the high point of the Wilhelmine peacetime army.

The 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß was the most prestigious infantry regiment of the entire Imperial German Army. Founded under the Hohenzollern crown in the late seventeenth century, raised to Garde status by Friedrich the Great in 1740, and consistently garrisoned at Potsdam in the immediate neighborhood of the royal residences, the regiment held first ceremonial precedence in the German Army order of battle and was the regiment of choice for the sons of the senior Prussian nobility, the royal princes of the Hohenzollern house, and the most distinguished members of the officer corps. Kronprinz Wilhelm (the Crown Prince) and many princes of the Imperial family held appointments with the regiment; the Garde-Regiment zu Fuß uniform was the standard royal-portrait uniform of the Hohenzollern princes throughout the long Wilhelmine peace. The regiment served with distinction throughout the 1914–18 conflict on both the Western and Eastern fronts, sustained heavy casualties, and was dissolved in 1919 with the rest of the Imperial Army.

Commemorative regimental Bildbände of this character were produced for most of the principal regiments of the Imperial German Army during the late Wilhelmine period — circa 1900 through 1914 — as memorial volumes for serving and retired members, marketed through regimental kantines and military booksellers. The volumes were the standard pictorial reference work of the regiment for the lay audience and remain today the principal photographic source for the appearance, daily life, and ceremonial routines of the units of the Imperial Army in their peacetime garrisons. Bildbände for the senior Guard regiments — and particularly for the 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß — are among the more sought-after volumes within this category and now turn up in the trade with diminishing frequency. The present copy, although disbound and lacking its rear cover, retains the front wrapper with its full title and decorative gold-embossed ornament and the complete plate block as published; it serves as a research and illustration source for the 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß and for late-Wilhelmine Prussian Guard regimental life despite the condition limitations.

Condition is fair as described. The front cover shows heavy edge fraying, surface scuffing, foxing across the back of the cover, and stains across the upper and lower borders; the gold embossing of the title and ornamental frame remains visually present and the lettering is fully legible. The rear cover is missing. The page block has separated from the original side-cord binding and is now a loose stack of leaves; the cord and tassel remain partially attached at the front cover. The individual leaves are clean across both the historical-painting plates and the photographic plates, the halftone printing retains its tonal range, and the typesetting of the historical preface is sharp and legible. The volume is offered as a content reference and study copy rather than as a fine binding example; the condition limitations are reflected in the asking price.

This volume serves 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß regimental specialists, Imperial German Guard collectors, students of the Wilhelmine peacetime army, researchers of Imperial German military uniform and equipment, and collectors of Carl Röchling military painting. It is suitable for the working library of an Imperial German uniform researcher or as a content source for the broader Prussian Guard collecting field. A buyer seeking a fine-condition bound example should look further; a buyer who wants the contents, the historical narrative, and the photographic plates of the senior Prussian foot regiment for working reference will be well served by this copy at the asking price.