Photography: August Sander

This week's photography spotlight comes in the form of August Sander. You may recognize that name as the other photographer that The Sartorialist name checked as a source of his inspiration. I actually didn't realize that fact when I ran across these photos but when I figured it out, thought is was quite a coincidence since I posted about Mike Disfarmer just last week.

August Sander was a German portrait and documentary photographer in the early part of the 20th century. He traveled across small towns of Germany photographing people from all walks of life. His portraits were banned during Nazi rule because they did not adhere to the ideal Aryan type. His most well-known work is Man of the Twentieth Century a book that divides his subjects into seven groups: The Farmer, The Skilled Tradesman, Woman, Classes and Professions, The Artists, The City, and The Last People.