Faxed Bid Wins Hitler Watercolor

An American bidding by fax bought a watercolor painting by Adolf Hitler on Saturday while European collectors snatched up clothes and personal items that belonged to the Nazi dictator’s mistress Eva Braun.

The auction house Czerny opened the bidding at $13,000 for the painting of a Vienna street scene.

The American buyer, who asked to remain anonymous, sent the winning bid of $14,500 by fax.

“That’s how most things are sold in auctions nowadays. It’s the modern age,” said auction house president Michael Czerny.

The watercolor, painted around 1910, shows Vienna streets on a sunny day. Hitler twice failed admission to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.

Most of Braun’s objects were sold, including a suitcase containing a nightgown, two hats, a pair of shoes, a Kodak camera and a 1933 calendar - all for $2,700.