german Labour. The career of the photographer couple Heinz and Thea Weskamp between 1930 and 1960
at Deutsche Fotothek Dresden
Heinrich and Thea Weskamp are two relatively obscure press photographers who contributed to the propaganda machinery during the National Socialist era. They belong to the broad base of photographers who, to varying degrees of conviction, supported and maintained the Nazi regime’s image propaganda.After the end of the war, they were able to continue their photographic activities seemingly unaffected by their involvement in Nazi propaganda and their work on behalf of Nazi institutions. The present Research focuses on the aspect of ‘work’ in various facets.The title of the project, ‘German Labour’, serves as a point of friction for the analysis of the collection.The question that the analysis seeks to answer is: what does ‘German labour’ mean under National Socialism and how does this term live on in the post-war period as ‘German quality work’ and ‘Made in Germany’? In this context, the examination encompasses series and commissions depicting various forms of labour, including agricultural, industrial, gender-coded labour, and occupational health and safety. The analysis delves into their own working practices as photographers, exploring the reconstructed work routines and assignment scenarios.Finally, an overview of the collection will demonstrate its organisation and the subjects to which the Weskamps devoted themselves.
CROPPING, ARRANGING, PRESENTING. Design strategies in photo albums by artists of the 1920s and 1930s
PhD
at Folkwang University of the arts, Essen
Creating photo albums was common in the 1920s and 1930s, a period in the Weimar Republic marked by optimism and a desire for social renewal. This spirit of “newness” led to movements like New Building, New Typography, New Vision, and New Objectivity. For some artists, photography became the key medium for social and political change, advocating a culture centered on visual impact. Photography evolved into a design medium, appearing increasingly in books and the press. Typography shifted toward functional design, abandoning ornamentation. In photography, this shift aimed to capture modern urban life from novel perspectives. During this time, photographs became widely accessible, available in various magazine formats.
While the study of photography has been extensive, the photo album has been notably underrepresented. Unlike photo books, albums were largely excluded from avant-garde and modernist discussions. However, numerous albums have been found in the estates of period artists, often those involved in the cultural renewal movements. This raises questions about the photo album’s role at the time and whether a modernism of the photo album existed. This study is the first comprehensive exploration of artists’ photo albums from the 1920s and 1930s, focusing on design strategies and the blending of art and album form. My thesis seeks to bridge photography and art history, bringing attention to this overlooked subject.
The study analyzed the photo albums of four artists from different areas of the interwar art scene. Among the well-known figures are Kurt Schwitters, a versatile DADA artist working across genres, and Albert Renger-Patzsch, a pioneer of the German photographic movement Neue Sachlichkeit. Additionally, it includes two lesser-known figures: Gerda Leo, a New Objectivity photographer who studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule Burg Giebichenstein in Halle, and Walter Köppe, an architectural student at Bauhaus Dessau. Each artist’s album provides unique insights into their contributions within the artistic landscape of the 1920s and 1930s.
My research shows that, although photo albums lacked the critical attention given to other modernist and avant-garde forms in the 1920s and 1930s, they played a significant role in advancing artistic practices. Evidence supports that a form of modernism in photo albums emerged as a unique phenomenon. Similar to sketchbooks and notebooks, photo albums acted as behind-the-scenes channels for innovation.
Judith Riemer 