About this artwork
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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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Photography and Media
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Artist
- August Sander
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Title
- Wife of the Cologne Painter Peter Abelen (Gattin des Kölner Malers Peter Abelen)
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Place
- Germany (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1926
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Medium
- Gelatin silver print
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Dimensions
- 35.5 × 25.7 cm (14 × 10 1/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Robert A. Taub
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Reference Number
- 2012.266
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Copyright
- © Die Photographische Sammlung / SK Stiftung Kultur – August Sander Archiv Köln / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
