Illustrierter Beobachter was published from 1926 through to 1945 by the NSDAP publishing house, Franz Eher, Nachf in Munich and was similar in style, if not content, to extremely popular publications like the Berliner Illustrated Zeitung and the Illustrated Zeitung all of which utilised the relatively new medium of photography to maximum effect. It began as a monthly and by 1929 had changed to a weekly format.
Issues from the pre-1933 Kampfzeit (fight time) period are very rare.