August Sander German, 1876-1964

August Sander (November 17, 1876 – April 20, 1964) was a major German photographer of the 20th century, renowned for his rigorous and systematic approach to portraiture. Born in Herdorf (in the Rhineland), he developed an early interest in photography, first working as an assistant in a studio before opening his own in Cologne.

His most famous body of work, "Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts" (People of the 20th Century), was an ambitious documentary project aiming to create a typological portrait of German society through hundreds of portraits categorized by social and professional groups: farmers, craftsmen, intellectuals, artists, military personnel, outsiders, and more. Through a sober, direct aesthetic, Sander sought to reveal the social reality of his subjects, aligning his work with the quasi-scientific spirit of the time.

Although his work was censored by the Nazi regime—some of his images being deemed “degenerate”—it is now considered foundational to modern documentary photography. His influence resonates in both photojournalism and contemporary conceptual photography.

August Sander died in Cologne in 1964. His work remains a landmark in visual sociology and the history of photography.