Vintage glossy 7 x 5.25 photo of Mussolini in full military uniform and helmet, signed and inscribed in fountain pen in Italian, and signed “Mussolini, Roma y Mazzio 1936—XIIII.” Interestingly, the unusual Roman numerals “XIIII” after the date refer to the 14th year that Mussolini had been in power. In good condition, with moderate creasing and surface marks, several edge tears, a few surface impressions, and several spots to lower right.
When Il Duce inscribed this portrait, he was in the process of moving from a contentious relationship with Hitler, and a fairly benign attitude toward Italy’s Jews, to an acknowledgment of the enormous influence Hitler eventually had over him and his policies. His embrace of the Manifesto of Race in 1938 completed that process, stripping Italian Jews of their citizenship. The martial pose, similar to a portrait that ran in Life Magazine is a fitting image of the man who wished to found a New Roman Empire. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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