Austria, Empire. Two Vintage Photographs

Includes:

1. Major Edmund Redl of the Austro-Hungarian Army Officer's Studio Photograph: in black and white, faded to a slight sepia-toned look, board-mounted, obverse with an "O. Achtschin Kammerfotograf - GRAVOSA - ALTAUSSEE" photographer's studio stamp in white ink below the photo, illustrating the hatless officer in his dress tunic, with three stars on both collars, along with four awards on his left breast: (i) the Military Merit Medal "Signum Laudis", (ii) the Commemorative Medal "Signum Memoriae" 1898, (iii) Commemorative Cross for the 60th Anniversary of the Reign of Franz Joseph I, (iv) Montenegrin Order of Prince Danilo I, the reverse hand inscribed "MAJOR EDMOND REDL", measuring 106 mm (w) x 162 mm (h), exhibiting soiling on the background around the portrait, the feature image unaffected.

2. Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem (AKA Order of the German Knights) Priest's Studio Photograph: in black and white, board-mounted, obverse with a "Alois Nebb - LANA" photographer's studio stamp in white ink below the photo, illustrating a Priest of the Order in his formal vestments, with black dress clothes and white cape bearing a large Cross of the Order, wearing the Priest's Cross around his neck and a Priest's Breast Star on his left breast, his hat with a badge and resting upon a stool to his right, the reverse in gray and bearing the official studio mark in blue ink, designed by Bernhard Wachtl of Wien, measuring 109 mm (w) x 164 mm (h), one scratch evident at the upper left but not not affect the featured image. Near very fine and near extremely fine, respectively.

Footnote: The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious order founded as a military order c. 1190 in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Teutonic Order was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals. Its members have commonly been known as the Teutonic Knights, having a small voluntary and mercenary military membership, serving as a crusading military order for the protection of Christians in the Holy Land and the Baltics during the Middle Ages. Purely religious since 1810, the Teutonic Order still confers limited honourary knighthoods. The Bailiwick of Utrecht of the Teutonic Order, a Protestant chivalric order, is descended from the same medieval military order and also continues to award knighthoods and perform charitable work.