Portrait of Käthe Kollwitz, 1925 – 1929 (print 1935)

About the Work

Hugo Erfurth was one of the most important portrait photographers in Germany during the Weimar Republic. He was highly appreciated, especially in artist circles, for the sensitive portrayals in which he managed to capture the subject’s psyche. Whereas in the 1920s his prominent models still came primarily from the realm of culture and theatre, in the 1930s he focused increasingly on leading figures in business and politics. With the aid of noble printing techniques that lend his depictions striking depth, he emphasized the superiority of his photographs, which already fetched high prices during his lifetime. Erfurth’s creed was to remain ‘true, clear, and faithful to life’ in his artistic works—regardless of his models’ political outlooks.