August Sander’s photography legacy has shaped the art of portraiture and social documentation. His profound work captures the faces of 20th-century German society, offering an unparalleled glimpse into the lives of individuals from all social backgrounds.
Famous for his ambitious project People of the 20th Century, Sander spent decades creating a visual chronicle of German society that remains a testament to the power of photography to reveal the complexities of human life.
A Life Steeped in the Art of Observation
Sander was born in 1876 in a small mining village, where metal extraction formed the backbone of local life. His early fascination with the arts, particularly woodcarving, was influenced by his father, a carpenter. From a young age, Sander demonstrated a keen interest in observing and capturing the world around him, a talent that would shape his later work as a photographer. He collected handmade wooden objects crafted by villagers, displaying a sensitivity to craftsmanship and a deep connection to the rural roots of his community.
By 1910, Sander had established his own studio in Cologne, where he would spend the majority of his life. It was here that he began working on his magnum opus, People of the 20th Century, a vast photographic project documenting the lives of individuals across different social strata.
Sander’s work reflects his belief that a person’s face can reveal much about their place in society, occupation, and inner life. His approach was methodical, even scientific, as he sought to document “types” of people through the lens of physiognomy—the pseudoscientific study of facial features and their connection to personality traits. This idea guided his photographic portraits, which aimed to capture the essence of various societal roles.
The Ambitious Scope of People of the 20th Century
Sander’s most significant project, People of the 20th Century, is an ambitious photographic series he started in 1910. Despite the title, it mainly portrays the people of Cologne and its surrounding areas, particularly those closely tied to the land and traditional occupations. The series is divided into seven overarching themes, which Sander explored through sub-categories:
- The Farmer (e.g., young farmer, old farmer, farmer’s life)
- The Skilled Tradesman
- The Big City
- Woman (e.g., woman and man, woman and child, woman and family, woman with intellectual or practical professions)
- The Child
- The Artist
- The Marginalized (including the homeless, outcasts, and those considered societal “martyrs”)
Sander’s photographs sought to present each “type” with dignity, showcasing personal struggles and strengths. His method was to take portraits that reflected people’s occupations and societal roles, arguing that the way a person lives leaves its mark on their face. This approach created a visual mosaic of society, where each image was just one tile in a larger picture. As Sander himself said in 1951, “A successful photograph is only a preliminary step toward the intelligent use of photography. Photography is like a mosaic that becomes synthesis only when presented in its many parts.”
Life Under Political Oppression
Despite the artistic significance of his work, Sander faced significant challenges during his career, particularly during the rise of the Nazi regime. His son, Erich Sander, was imprisoned in 1934 due to his involvement in anti-Nazi activities. This event had a profound impact on August, and he even considered moving his studio to a rural location to escape the political pressures of the city. Throughout his life, Sander never enjoyed the acceptance of the regime. His focus on portraying marginalized groups and his refusal to conform to the ideals of racial purity propagated by the Nazis made his work politically and socially subversive at the time.
Sander’s archive, fortunately, survived the war, although not without losses. Despite bombing raids that destroyed part of his collection in Cologne, his most important work remained intact. He continued documenting the destruction of Cologne after World War II, adding another layer to his chronicle of 20th-century life.
Competition and Contrast: Erna Lendvai-Dircksen
While Sander faced rejection from the authorities, another German photographer, Erna Lendvai-Dircksen, rose to prominence during the same period. Lendvai-Dircksen also specialized in portrait photography, but her work was received more favorably by the regime. She traveled extensively to document various “types” of people, aiming to portray the traditional German folk in a way that aligned with nationalist ideals.
Unlike Sander, whose work had a sociological and almost anthropological focus, Lendvai-Dircksen’s photography emphasized the purity and strength of the German people, with a particular reverence for the elderly. She saw in them the accumulated wisdom of life’s experiences, often highlighting their weathered faces as symbols of resilience. While Sander was committed to showing the breadth of human diversity, Lendvai-Dircksen sought to capture an idealized version of her subjects, free from the imperfections of real life.
The Legacy of August Sander
August Sander’s work has stood the test of time, and his influence on modern photography remains profound. In his later years, he turned more to landscape photography, a natural shift as he moved to a more rural location. His method remained unchanged, though: he used a large-format camera with glass plates, adhering to the same meticulous process he applied to his portraits.
Sander’s dedication to capturing humanity in all its facets remains a guiding principle in photography. His work reminds us that photography is not merely about recording images but about capturing the soul of a moment, a person, or a place. His “mosaic” approach to photography allows us to see the broader patterns of society, reflecting the interconnectedness of individual lives within the collective human experience.
Sander’s work continues to inspire contemporary photographers, such as Michael Somoroff, who, in collaboration with Sander’s great-grandson, created a project where the people were removed from Sander’s photographs, leaving behind only the empty spaces. This concept, titled Absence of Subject, pays homage to Sander’s vision while offering a modern reinterpretation of his work.
Sander’s influence also extends to literary figures like Susan Sontag, whose chapter on American photography in her book On Photography reflects on how photography shapes our understanding of the world.
August Sander’s work was about more than just faces—it was about understanding the world through them. His photographs are a testament to the human spirit, capturing both the commonalities and the differences that define us. Today, his legacy lives on as one of the greatest photographic archives of the 20th century, offering a glimpse into a world that was both specific to its time and timeless in its themes.
