Bulgaren-Held (Bulgarian Hero)
A Bulgarian soldier in field kit, bayonet in one hand and a cigarette in his mouth, stands under the words 'Bulgaren-Held' (Bulgarian hero) in an advertisement for the Menes cigarette factory of Wiesbaden. The brand borrows the standing of Germany's newest ally and the soldier-hero figure; the poster makes no claim about the cigarettes themselves.
- Date
- 1915
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- Zigarettenfabrik Menes, Wiesbaden (commercial advertiser); artist Ludwig Hohlwein
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- German Empire
- Medium
- Advertisement
- Issuer type
- Corporation
- Regime
- German Empire
- Leader
- Wilhelm II
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- War and the military, Economy and finance
- Event
- World War I
- Techniques
- Transfer
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Library of Congress, retrieved September 27, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain in the U.S. (published before 1931)
Hohlwein, Ludwig, 1874-1949, artist; Rehse Archiv für Zeitgeschichte und Publizistik, DLC, former owner. 1915. Library of Congress, LC-USZC4-11625.
Text on the object
Bulgaren-Held Zigarettenfabrik Menes Wiesbaden
Bulgarian Hero Menes Cigarette Factory, Wiesbaden
A tiny printed line beneath the illustration (likely the printer's imprint, 'Fritz Maison, München' per the poster's production credit) and a purple oval archival stamp to its right are too small/not textual (the stamp) to transcribe confidently and are omitted.
