August Sander 1876–1964

Early Years

German portrait and documentary photographer.

Learnt about photography by shadowing a mining photographer, he then spent his military service shadowing a military photographer.

He developed his interest in photography through working in photographic firms in Berlin, Magdeburg, Halle and Dresden from 1898 to 1899. He settled in Luiz and became a partner in the studio he worked at.

He moved from Luiz in 1909 and started his own photographic studio in Cologne.

Career

In the 1920s Sander became a part of ‘The Group of Progressive Artists’. He started to plan to document contemporary society using portraits.

He travelled through Sardinia with writer Ludwig Mathar, in which he took over 500 photographs.

Sander published ‘The Face of Our Time’ in 1929. It consists of 60 portrait photos showing many people in society. This was part of his overall project called ‘People of the 20th Century’.

Legacy Sander died in Cologne after his photography was seized during the Nazi regime and his photography studio was destroyed in bombing raids.

Sander took photos of things like landscapes, nature and street photography but has always been well known for his work in portrait photos.

Overall his final project was ‘People in the 20th Century’. This project was divided into 7 sections, The Farmer, The Skilled Tradesman, Women, Classes and Professions, The Artist, The City, The Last People.

It’s clear that Sander was interested in showing people from all classes and walks of life. By 1945 overall his archive consisted of 40,000 images.

The Three Farmers (1914)

Studium:

The image is of three farmer of the time in dressed up for a dance in Prussia.

None of them look happy with the thought of going to this ‘dance’.

They all hold their canes in the same hand.

Very near the beginning of the first world war.

A very agricultural background.

Punctum:

In 1914 people were only just starting to afford suits and smarter clothes. These suits are ill fitting on the men. This shows there lack of money as they’ve had to buy suits that aren’t fitted.

They all also wear the same suit which can reflect the cheapness of this particular attire.

Because of the background of the photo the men look very out of place. This could connote that they are trying to fight there own social class and image to become a better class by the way they dress.

Circus People (1926 – 32)

Studium:

This is a portrait of circus performers in Germany.

They are all different ages, genders and races.

All the women appear not to be wearing much clothing or clothing that is provocative.

Typical circus looking clothes.

Puntium:

There is a female dressed in male clothing and two black people. This could suggest that in a circus society is different and everyone can mix whatever gender or race they are.

It looks as if Sander is showing that society is not judged here.

The hunt behind them all suggests that is there home. It looks as if they are of a low class and have little of there own.

Couples Portraits

August Sander

The Style of

Sander’s portraits, whether half-or-full-length, are always set in a simple environment. He gave a controlled and intentional hint at the origin and profession of the people through the background or through clothes, hairstyle and gesture.

• position• clothes • face expression

I never made a person look bad. They do that themselves. The portrait is your mirror. It’s you-------August Sander

What August Sander said:

• The most important thing is he regards honest as his first rules.

• He tries to catch the same thing through different identity, eyes, different positions and so on.

• Most of his photos show the spirit of national pride, stubborn, and do not easily give up.

Old Style Wood Camera

Sander's first book Face of our Time (German: Antlitz der Zeit) was published in 1929. Sander has been described as "the most important German portrait photographer of the early twentieth century.”

Achievement

Thank you~