There are two notable reported instances of lampshades made from human skin. After World War II it was claimed that Nazis had made at least one lampshade from murdered concentration camp inmates: a human skin lampshade was claimed to have been displayed by Buchenwald concentration camp commandant Karl-Otto Koch and his wife Ilse Koch, along with other human skin artifacts.[2][3][4] Despite myths to the contrary, there were no systematic efforts by the Nazis to make human skin lampshades.[5]
In the 1950s, murderer Ed Gein, possibly influenced by the stories about the Nazis, made a lampshade from the skin of one of his victims.
- ^ "Lampenschirme aus Menschenhaut?". Buchenwald Memorial (in German). Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Nazi Concentration Camps". archive.org. 1945.
- ^ Mittelbau-Dora, Stiftung Gedenkstätten Buchenwald und. "Morbid gift items for the SS". Buchenwald Memorial. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Pflughoeft, Aspen (22 March 2024). "Lampshade from Nazi concentration camp is 'certainly human skin,' forensic report finds". Miami Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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