Original German WWII Set of Two 1934 Dated National Socialist People's Welfare NSV Decorative Porcelain Plates

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely lot of German WWII period porcelain NSV decorative plates, both dated 1934. There were many fine porcelain makers in Germany, and most were eager to cater to the needs of the NSDAP regime by producing a wide range of items, both for decoration and for use. The NSV was the NSDAP social welfare organization, and we assume these were sold to help generate revenue, or possibly given to those who helped support the organization. Both have small holes in the back with strings for hanging inside, and the holes look to have been made prior to glazing.

Both plates measure 9 1/4" in diameter, and have the NSV logo over 1934 at the top, and also have a porcelain maker stamp on the back, which we have not been able to identify. One plate shows the image of a mother holding her child next to a cradle, and is executed in green, while the second plate shows a mother holding her child outside next to a rabbit and a goat, executed in orange. Definitely the type of scenes that the NSV wanted to associate with the work it did.

Both plates are in very good condition, showing no major damage such as missing chips or chunks. The plate with green lithography looks to have a much thicker layer of clear glaze on it, which has cracked and checked overall, while the orange plate does not show any such aging, though there is an old sticker on the front that has proved very difficult to remove. We have left it in place as it is part of the history of the piece.

A lovely set, ready to add to your collection!

The Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt (National Socialist People's Welfare) or NSV was a social welfare organization during the Third Reich. The NSV was originally established in 1931 as a small National Socialist Party-affiliated charity, which was active locally in the city of Berlin. On 3 May 1933, shortly after the NSDAP took power in Weimar Germany, Adolf H turned it into a party organization that was to be active throughout the country. The structure of the NSV was based on the NSDAP model, with local (Ort), county (Kreis) and district (Gau) administrations.

The NSDAP believed that the German race had to be strengthened through a process of natural selection, which required weeding out its weakest elements, so they had originally condemned the goals of charity and philanthropy. They opposed the extensive welfare system of the Weimar Republic for being wasteful, bureaucratic, and helping the wrong people, since it distributed welfare benefits indiscriminately without regard for race and often assisted people that they considered inferior. However, the Great Depression made their opposition to social welfare an untenable political position, so they eventually built an organization, however it was of course restricted to those who met the NSDAP's racial and ideological goals.