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Photographs in the 19th century were mostly studio portraits. This changed dramatically, as in America, with the turn-of-the 20th century. Simple, inexpensive cameras and fast emulsions meant that virtually anyone could successfully pursue photography. And the low prices meant thaT it was something that even modest-income families could pursue. We note large numbers of snapshots in the 20th century. And no country except America took to photography more than Germany. There were social class differences. Working class families had difficulties affording a camera and developing costs. But huge numbers of middle-class families took family snapshots. This is why we see images of many middle-class families and relativly few working-class families. Photography seems to have been more popular in Germany than in any other European country. We notice enormous numbers of snapshots in addition to studio portaits. The snap shots provide us information about both clothing and life style that studio portraits could not offer. We see how children dressed and played in everyday life and not just when they dressed up for a formal portrit. Some as in America were done with post card backs. We are not familiar with the stamp boxes. The borders, edges, and printing styles can be useful in dating undated images. Families through World War II would prepare photographic albums. Some times children would put together their own albums. Snapshots were pasted on black paper sheets. Germany became a leader in photography, including color photography. The German company Agfa was one of the photographic giants. Agfa was more common in Europe than Kodak. World War II changed that.
Photographs in the 19th century were mostly studio portraits. This changed dramatically, as in America, with the turn-of-the 20th century.
We note large numbers of snapshots in the 20th century. And no country except America took to photography more than Germany. Simple, inexpensive cameras and fast emulsions meant that virtually anyone could successfully pursue photography. We have found very klarge numbers of German snapshots providing us with an extensive photographic record. Photography seems to have been more popular in Germany than in any other European country. We notice enormous numbers of snapshots in addition to studio portaits.
And the low prices meant thaT it was something that even modest-income families could pursue. There were social class differences. Working class families had difficulties affording a camera and developing costs. But huge numbers of middle-class families took family snap shots. This is why we see images of many middle class families and relativly few working-class families.
The snap shots provide us information about both clothing and life style that studio portraits could not offer. We see how children dressed and played in everyday life and not just when they dressed up for a formal portrit.
Some as in America and other European countries were done with post card backs. This was a very common format in the early-20th century. We are not ascfamiliar with the German as with the American stamp boxes. But postcard stamp boxes are an important dating tool.
The sizes, shape borders, edges, and printing styles can be useful in dating images. Most snapshots are undated so understanding the chronoloogy of the various print characteristics can be very helpful in dating available snapshots. This is important because in our assessment because time patterns are an important of our fashion assessment. We like to follow fsashion trends over time. Without being able to date images we can not do this. There are several ways to date images. Knowing the time ange of the various print characteristics is the primary dating tool. Some may be similar to the haracteristics of American prints, but this needs to be confirmed. Understanding the chronologu of German prints is espcially important. The German photographic industry was the largest in Europe. And the German industry inflinced patterns throughout Europe, espcially central and eastern Europe. Thus understanding the chrnology of German prints characteristics will help us understand the chronology of many other countries.
Families through World War II would prepare photographic albums. We see more of these albums in Germany than any other country. There may have been more in America because it was a larger country, but we have found more in Germany as part of the photographic record. Sometimes children would put together their own albums. Snapshots were commonly pasted on black paper sheets and white lettering provided useful information about the snapshots. This provides more than social information. We see a lot boys who kept albums of their Hitler Youth experiences. And may German soldiers took their cameras to war with them. They were not suposed to do this, but it commonly occurred in rear areas. This was especially the case in the early years of the War. Many soldiers accepted the idea ghat they were fulfilling a historic mission and wanted to create a reciord if their part in it. As the War bgan to go against Germany, this interest declined. Actually there were probably more of these albums than have suyrvived. Especially in the Soviet occupation zone, evidence of war time avctivity could get one in trouble. Although less draconioan than in the Soviet zone, this could also be a problem in the western zones. A major part of the occuopation was the Denazification process.
Germany became a leader in photography, including color photography. The German company Agfa was one of the photographic giants. Agfa was more common in Europe than Kodak. World War II changed that.
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