August Sander's Enormous Attempt to Capture a Lost World
August Sander's exhibition, 'People of the 20th Century,' showcases his extensive collection of portraits from prewar Germany. The series includes a diverse array of subjects, capturing various professions and social classes, alongside contemporary dogs that contrast with the historical context. Sander's work aims to document humanity while reflecting on the complexities of class and identity during a tumultuous period in history.
- ▪August Sander's 'People of the 20th Century' features around six hundred portraits from prewar Germany.
- ▪The exhibition at Yale University Art Gallery presents the images in orderly grids, resembling a periodic table of human elements.
- ▪Sander's project sought to create a visual catalogue of all types and professions in Germany from about 1910 to 1950.
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The Art WorldAugust Sander’s Enormous Attempt to Capture a Lost WorldIn “People of the 20th Century,” the photographer set out to document every type and profession in the fading epoch of prewar Germany.By Max NormanMay 21, 2026“Zirkusartisten (Circus Artistes),” 1926–32.Photographs by August Sander / Courtesy Yale University Art GallerySave this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyThe photographer August Sander’s masterpiece—some six hundred portraits of everyone from a pastry chef to a President, from Jews and Roma to Nazis and demagogues, from engineers and artists to nervous young farmers on their wedding day—bears the irresistibly ambitious title “People of the 20th Century.” At the Yale University Art Gallery, which is showing the complete series in the photographer’s…
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