Dip Tank (Krausswerke, Schwarzenberg in Saxony), 1929

About the Work

Between 1929 and 1942, Albert Renger-Patzsch received regular commissions from the Krausswerke in Schwarzenberg, Saxony, Germany’s largest manufacturer of metal household items. He took photographs for the company’s publications, which—distinguished by their modern and diversified designs—were intended to underscore innovativeness and productivity. In his photograph Stroll Through a Bathtub Factory (1929), Renger portrayed the process of galvanizing a bathtub. The carefully balanced lighting created reflections on the objects’ surfaces, a pictorial device that, along with the tight framing, served to aestheticize the industrial procedure. This shot was so well-wrought that the Krausswerke used it in 1930 as a poster motif.