Photos of Hitler’s Wife Stir the Web

Adolf Hitler is one of the darkest figures of the 20th century. But less is known about his girlfriend, Eva Braun, who he kept secret from Nazi Germany for years.

Pictures of the girlfriend and then wife have recently surfaced through Life Magazine, brought to light through collector and curator Reinhard Schulz.

The cache of photos from the young model's personal album was confiscated in 1945 by the American army. The newly released pictures have caused searches on the Web for "eva braun" to rise over 300% in one day.

So who was the woman by Hitler's side? Young Eva first met Hitler in 1929 when he was a rising star in the Nazi party. He was introduced to the 17-year-old as Herr Wolff, while she modeled for the official Nazi photographer Heinrich Hoffmann in Munich.

The Bavarian became Hitler's companion, despite being kept hidden from the public and often left alone. A depressive, she attempted suicide twice, but still remained loyal to Hitler to the end.

After learning about the failed plot to kill Hitler, Braun wrote him, "From our first meeting I swore to follow you anywhere even unto death. I live only for your love."

In the last days of the war, just before they ended their lives, she became his wife. Braun committed suicide with Hitler at the age of 33.

The unearthed photos show a woman frolicking in the Bavarian Alps with some of the most infamous characters of the Third Reich. One of the images from the Life slideshow that is making waves shows Braun in blackface, dressed up apparently as American actor Al Jolson, who starred in the 1927 movie "The Jazz Singer."

Maybe not surprisingly, the photos of Hitler's longtime companion do not cast her in the most positive light. As the Daily Telegraph put it, "Miss Braun appears as a rather vain and frivolous character."

Published by The Upshot, March 10, 2011.