August Sander: The Face of a Society Published by Jerome D. This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through links on this page, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. I only reference gear that photographers have actually used. Introduction August Sander (1876–1964) is one of the most important portrait photographers in the history of the medium. His work is defined by an ambitious and systematic project: to document the people of Germany across all social classes during the early twentieth century. Born in Herdorf in the German Empire, Sander began working in photography at a young age, initially assisting in a studio before eventually opening his own portrait business in Cologne. While commercial portraiture provided his livelihood, his true artistic focus was a long-term project he called People of the 20th Century — a vast typology of German society. Sander’s aim was not to glorify individuals but to represent them as part of a broader social st...
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people to see without a camera" - Dorothea Lange