Culver City,
California
x
People's Physical Characteristics (Merkmale des Äußeren von Personen)
Maker: Unknown
Date Made: n.d.
Country: German Democratic Republic
Materials: paper
Measurements: 14.5 cm x 10.5 cm; 5 11/16 in x 4 1/8 in
Language: German
Genre/Form: booklet
This Instructional booklet of 61 pages, bound with two staples, has a gray cover with the image of a face and is titled “People’s Physical Characteristics”. It was used for training border guards in identity recognition. This booklet provides a standardized vocabulary to describe, identify, and compare people based on characteristics such as nose shape, eyebrows, space between the eyes, etc. External features considered here include characteristics such as gender, age, and stature, as well as more unusual aspects like forehead wrinkles, nose tip shape, ear features (such as the position of the tragus), and hairline. Each category is accompanied by diagrams and sometimes short descriptions of different possible variations. For example, eyebrows can be "grown together", "separated", "low", "raised", "arched", or "straight" and each of these variations is accompanied by a diagram. The booklet provides a comprehensive analysis of terms employed to produce a definitive description of an individual's appearance. Such a high degree of detail was crucial for use at border crossing checkpoints, where guards had to verify identities and travel documents.
Collection/Series: Peter Bochmann Border Guard Collection
Accession Number: 2017.015.043
Credit Line: Berlin Wall/Checkpoint Collection, Peter Bochmann Collection, The Wende Museum and Archives of the Cold War.