Captivating photographs of communist East Germany’s spies playing dress up were recently uncovered by Simon Menner in the once heavily classified STASI Archives, along with Polaroids of secretly searched homes and blurry surveillance shots. They were never meant to be published, but the German authorities allowed the artist to conduct his investigation into the clandestine visual history of the spy unit. “These were used during courses on how to dress up and blend into society,” he has explained. “They seem pretty absurd now, but it was meant seriously — this is evil stuff.” Flip through our slideshow and watch two men swap cardigans, uniforms, wigs, shades, and the ever-versatile fake mustache and transform into a furry-hat-wearing “Russian mafioso,” a snazzy young gentleman in a festive polyester blouse and hip ascot combo, a harmless “tourist,” and other regular folk.
Comments (8)
Engineer is spy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnuYi-nzE90
John Hamm? Is that you?
I’m sorry- but this is Dan Ackroyd.
The ones where you can see the door look like bad Terry Richardson shots, before he makes them do Special K and show him their penises.
Isn’t this just ONE german spy trying differnt outfits?
These all look like Silver Lake hipsters!
I think it’s better as a record of the abysmal fashion choices available to East German men. No wonder they got fed up.
[...] East Germany is one of my obsessions. AND I AM ALL OVER THESE PHOTOS OF EAST GERMAN SPIES! [...]
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