August Sander, born on 17 November 1876 in Herdorf near Cologne, emerged from humble beginnings as the son of a carpenter in the mining industry. His initiation into the realm of photography occurred through assisting a photographer affiliated with the mining company. With financial backing from his uncle, Sander procured his initial photographic equipment and commenced a self-guided exploration of the art.
Between 1897 and 1899, Sander served in the military as a photographer's assistant under Georg Jung. Subsequent years saw him traversing cities like Berlin, Magdeburg, Halle, Leipzig, and Dresden, honing his craft in various photographic studios. By 1901, he was employed by the Photographische Kunstanstalt Greif in Linz, Austria, eventually assuming sole proprietorship in 1904. Family circumstances prompted Sander to relocate to Cologne in 1910, where he established a new studio in the Lindenthal neighborhood.
In the early 1920s, Sander's path intersected with the "Group of Progressive Artists" in Cologne, notably artists Franz W. Seiwert and Heinrich Hoerle. It was during this period that he formalized the concept for his seminal project, "Mensen des 20. Jahrhunderts." A pivotal exhibition of approximately 100 portraits at the Kölnische Kunstverein in November 1927 paved the way for the publication of his first book, "Antlitz der Zeit" (Face of Our Time), in 1929. However, the rise of the Nazi party in 1933 led to the seizure and destruction of the book's printing plates in 1936.
Tragedy struck Sander's personal life in 1934 when his son Erich, a member of the left-wing Socialist Workers' Party, was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Erich passed away in 1944, shortly before the conclusion of his sentence. Around 1942, as Cologne faced the ravages of war, Sander began relocating to the Westerwald village of Kuchhausen, safeguarding crucial portions of his negative archive from destruction. The bombing raid in 1944 obliterated his Cologne studio, but Sander persisted in his life's work, refining and expanding "People of the 20th Century."
In 1951, Sander exhibited at Photokina in Cologne, supported by L. Fritz Gruber. In 1953, Edward Steichen visited Sander, selecting works for inclusion in his iconic exhibition, "The Family of Man," at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1955.
August Sander passed away in Cologne on 20 April 1964. His diverse body of work spans landscape, nature, architecture, and street photography, but he is celebrated primarily for his poignant portraits, epitomized in the magnum opus "Mensen des 20. Jahrhunderts."
