Quite a long time ago, when discussing with Jon Speed the Paul Mauser prototype target rifle, Jon passed to me a copy of this great photo, which he has in original form.
Of course, initially interest was focused on Paul and his experimental rifle…
However, a more detailed analysis tell us many things…. First of all this is the only picture, I have seen with Paul and some of his children (Paul had 12 children); this photo was taken in front of the Oberndorf shooting club with other members of the club.
To the great pleasure of people interested in the Mauser Turkish rifle, on the left you can see Major Mahmoud Fethi who is also encountered in many activities related to the rifle testing performed by the Ottoman Committee in Oberndorf.
One key person is missing in this photo - Paul Mauser's wife Maria Magdalena Spiegelhalter (1843-1908) and this is a pity because this photo was taken for their 25th year of marriage (Silver Wedding anniversary) on the 6th of June 1892. From the Paul Mauser diaries, we learn that Paul had a very good relationship with his wife.
If you look carefully, you will notice that Paul and others members of the shooting club wear a medal. In those days, it was quite normal to offer medals for special occasions. For example, we know of the medal offered by the Turkish Committee to Paul and others, in Oberndorf, for the 18th years of the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II; as well as the medal offered to Paul in 1908 for his 70th birthday and others…
Now the last discovery: on the right you see one of the medals which has been found in the Paul Mauser Archive, worn by Paul and the people in the photo, offered by/to the shooting club members to celebrate Paul and Maria's Silver Wedding Anniversary. It is a very nice medal and on the front, you see the interlaced letters PM, not for Paul Mauser but for Paul and Maria!
We must certainly wonder what else this picture will unveil in the future...