August Sander (1876-1964)

(bb. November 17, 1876, Herdorf,
near Cologne, Germany—
d. April 20, 1964, Cologne)

Sander was born in Herdorf, near Cologne, Germany, the son of a mining carpenter. He received a 13 x 18 cm camera from an uncle in 1892, built a darkroom, and began to photograph in his spare time. After military service, he toured Germany as a commercial photographer specializing in architectural and industrial photos.

Sander was awarded a gold medal and Cross of Honor at the Paris Exposition of 1904, the first of hundreds of such awards he would receive in his career. He began at this time to experiment with color photography and his work in this field was soon acquired by the Leipzig Museum. In 1906 Sander's first one-man exhibition, of 100 prints, was held at the Landhaus Pavilon in Linz.

After selling his studio in Linz, Sander moved his family to Trier and then to Lindenthall, a suburb of Cologne. While photographing peasants in nearby Westerwald, Sander originated his life-project, "People in the Twentieth Century." His intention was to document the entire German people. While pursuing this work, he continued to photograph industrial and architectural subjects to make his living.

Sander served in the German Army during World War I but continued to photograph. He began teaching apprentices and other students in 1919.

Sander’s inclusion of types not considered Aryan by German authorities brought him into conflict with the Nazi regime.

Band

Sander's intent in this photo, like his other photos was to document "People in the Twentieth Century", the German people.