August Sander

For the last century and a half people in Western society have primarily defined themselves by how they earned money. We are what we do. Although that's changing slowly, an occupational title still serves as a sort of shorthand; we tend to attribute specific characteristics, traits and social class distinctions to certain occupations.

The truth of that is made manifest by the work of photographer August Sander. Born in 1876, Sander began his photographic career in the military. After his discharge, he continued to work as an assistant in various portrait studios. He opened his own portrait studio in 1904 and became successful by producing "sweet-looking, posed studio portraits."

In 1909-1910 Sander started traveling the surrounding areas by bicycle. He began to take less formal portraits of the farmers he met. This was the beginning of what would become a lifelong campaign.

Sander decided to create a portrait series that would document contemporary German society. Then, like now, people were seen as an extension of their work. Sanders' project was to document people in their working environments, displaying the tools of their trade.

Sander made more than 600 such portraits between 1910 and the early 1930s. He divided the subject into seven archetypal categories: The Farmer, The Skilled Tradesman, The Woman, Classes and Professions, The Artists, The City, and The Last People (the last category included homeless persons, disabled war veterans, etc.). In the portraits, the subject boldly and directly faces the photographer and the camera…a very radical approach in that era.

His first book of 60 portraits, entitled Face of our Time, was published in 1929. It was modestly successful. However, shortly after the Nazis took over the government of Germany in 1933 Sander's book was banned because the subjects "did not adhere to the ideal Aryan type." The photographic plates were seized and destroyed. His son was arrested in 1934 for being a member of a Communist organization. At that point, August Sander's public work turned toward architectural and landscape studies, along with portraits of Nazi Party officers.

After the war Sander returned to his portrait series, eventually amassing a collection of approximately 1800 portraits. His portrait series was eventually give the title Menschen des 20 Jahrhunderts (People of the 20th Century).

Although Sander intended his work to be primarily documentary, the directness and simplicity of the portraits continue to influence modern photographers. Even though the class distinctions of that era have been blurred, the faces of the people continue to resonate.