August Sander
German, 1876–1964
The Philosopher (Der Philosoph)
INV-3814
August Sander
German, 1876–19641913, printed later
The Philosopher (Der Philosoph)
August Sander German, 1876–1964 →gelatin silver (developing-out-paper) prphotographic process
Date
1913, printed later
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
30 × 23.3 cm (11 13/16 × 9 3/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Hugh Edwards Photography and Media Purchase Fund
A professional portraitist based in Cologne, August Sander (German, 1876–1964) had already amassed numerous photographs of farmers and peasants in the surrounding region when he decided in the early 1920s to expand his record and expressly document all classes, occupations, and lifestyles in the nation. This monumental undertaking, to which Sander gave the name People of the Twentieth Century, eventually grew to include more than 600 portraits (and thousands of poses) that formed a “physiognomical time exposure of German man,” in the photographer’s words. Remarkably consistent in their lighting and poses, and hung or reproduced in pairs in Sander’s lifetime, the portraits invite comparative analysis, suggesting limitless types rather than the quite limited typecasting espoused by Nazism, to which Sander grew increasingly opposed.
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