August Sander

August Sander (1876–1964) was one of the most influential German photographers of the 20th century and a pioneer of modern portrait photography. His monumental project People of the 20th Century created a photographic portrait of society that continues to shape our understanding of documentary portraiture today. Yet Sander’s oeuvre extends far beyond portraits to include landscape, nature, architecture, industry, and urban photography. His approach can be summarized in three words: “See, observe, think.” This combination of precise observation and reflection made Sander a key figure in the history of photography and an important point of reference for later generations of photographers, including Thomas Kellner.

August Sander was born on November 17, 1876, in Herdorf near Siegen, in what is today Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The son of a mine carpenter, he initially worked at a local iron-ore mine after leaving school. His first encounter with photography came through a photographer working at the mine, whom Sander assisted. With financial support from an uncle, he acquired his first photographic equipment and set up his own darkroom.

During his military service in Trier from 1897 to 1899, Sander gained further experience as a photographer’s assistant. After several years of professional development, he established himself as a photographer and in 1902 married Anna Seitenmacher. Photography would remain closely connected with the Sander family across generations: his sons Erich and Gunther were involved with photography, and his grandson Gerd Sander later played an important role in preserving and promoting August Sander’s photographic legacy.

Sander’s origins in the region around Herdorf and Siegen are particularly significant for his later work. The people and social structures of this region became an important starting point for the portraits through which he developed his ambitious vision of a photographic portrait of society.

August Sander During the World Wars

August Sander’s life and photographic work were profoundly shaped by two world wars and the political upheavals of the first half of the 20th century. During the First World War, he served in the German military, while his wife Anna continued to run the photographic studio in Cologne.

The rise of National Socialism had serious consequences for Sander and his family. His 1929 book Antlitz der Zeit (Face of Our Time), which presented 60 portraits from his larger project People of the 20th Century, was targeted by the Nazi regime; remaining copies were seized and the printing plates destroyed in 1936. Sander’s unsentimental view of German society stood in stark contrast to the idealized imagery promoted by National Socialism.

The political persecution also affected Sander personally. His son Erich, a member of the Socialist Workers’ Party of Germany (SAPD), was arrested in 1934 and sentenced to ten years in prison for high treason. He died in Siegburg prison in 1944, shortly before the end of his sentence.

During the Second World War, August and Anna Sander gradually moved from Cologne to Kuchhausen in the Westerwald, taking important parts of the photographic archive with them. Sander’s Cologne studio was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944. A fire in 1946 subsequently destroyed thousands of negatives that had remained in Cologne. Despite these losses, a substantial part of his photographic archive survived. After the war, Sander also documented the devastated city of Cologne, extending his photographic record beyond portraiture to the physical consequences of German history.

August Sander and People of the 20th Century

August Sander developed one of the most ambitious portrait projects in the history of photography. In People of the 20th Century, he sought to create a comprehensive image of the society of his time through individual portraits. Farmers, craftsmen, workers, women, artists, intellectuals, members of the bourgeoisie and people on the margins of society became part of an extensive photographic survey.

Sander organized his project systematically. People of the 20th Century was conceived in seven major groups and numerous portfolios, allowing individual portraits to be read in relation to one another. Profession, social position, clothing, posture, gesture and environment became important elements of his photographic observation. The individual person remained recognizable, while the arrangement of many portraits created a broader portrait of society.

An important precursor to this monumental project was Antlitz der Zeit (Face of Our Time), published in 1929 with 60 portraits. Sander’s direct and precise approach made him a pioneer of documentary portrait photography and influenced generations of photographers and artists.

For Thomas Kellner, Sander’s concept of creating an image of society through a series of individual portraits became an important point of reference. Nearly a century later, Kellner revisits this fundamental idea in Facets of the City after August Sander, but replaces Sander’s social and professional classification with a statistically based visual microcensus of contemporary society.

Face of Our Time – August Sander’s Antlitz der Zeit

Published in 1929, Antlitz der Zeit (Face of Our Time) was August Sander’s first major publication and introduced his vision of German society to a wider audience. The book presented 60 portraits selected from the much larger project that would become known as People of the 20th Century. The German writer Alfred Döblin contributed the introductory essay.

Rather than portraying society through famous individuals, Sander photographed people from different professions, social backgrounds and ways of life. Seen together, the portraits reveal how the individual photograph can become part of a larger visual portrait of society. Antlitz der Zeit thus became an important milestone in the history of documentary portrait photography and an early manifestation of the concept that Sander would develop more extensively in People of the 20th Century.

August Sander, Herdorf and the Siegen Region

August Sander’s connection to the region around Herdorf and Siegen extends beyond his place of birth. The people and working environments of the Siegerland formed part of the social world from which his early photography emerged. Farmers, craftsmen, workers and other inhabitants of the region became subjects through whom Sander explored the relationship between the individual, profession, social environment and society.

This regional connection is particularly significant in the history of photography. Decades later, Bernd and Hilla Becher also turned their attention to the industrial and architectural landscape of the Siegerland. For Thomas Kellner, who lives and works in Siegen, this photographic heritage has become an important point of reference. His engagement with regional subjects connects different generations of photographic practice while developing their approaches from a contemporary artistic perspective.

This dialogue between Sander’s portrait of society and the present is explored further in Thomas Kellner’s People of the 21st Century.

August Sander’s Influence on Contemporary Photography

August Sander’s influence extends far beyond the historical context in which his photographs were created. His systematic approach to portraiture, his attention to social structures and his understanding of the photographic series as a means of portraying society continue to resonate in contemporary photography.

For Thomas Kellner, Sander is both a historical reference and a starting point for a new artistic investigation. In Facets of the City after August Sander, Kellner transfers the idea of a photographic portrait of society into the 21st century. Rather than reproducing Sander’s classification system, he develops a visual microcensus based on contemporary demographic data. In this way, the dialogue with August Sander becomes not an imitation of his photography, but a contemporary examination of how society can be represented through portrait photography today.

The development of August Sander’s photographic career—born in Herdorf in 1876—is inextricably linked to his hometown of Siegen. His early encounter with photography during his youth as a boy working in the coal piles marked the beginning of an extraordinary artistic journey. A visit to the region by photographer Friedrich Schmeck, who had come to the local mine on assignment, proved to be a defining moment. This encounter inspired Sander to take up photography and prompted him to purchase his own camera.

The influences of his hometown continued as Sander deepened his knowledge and skills in the studio of Siegen-based photographer Carl Siebel. Here, he was able not only to expand his technical expertise but also to sharpen his eye for selecting and staging his subjects.

Particularly characteristic of Sander’s early work is his affinity for the people of his homeland. The residents of his own community became his first and most prominent subjects, shaping his later photographic style.

This early creative process laid the foundation for Sander’s work *Faces of Time*, which documented the diversity of 20th-century German society. Through his sensitive portraits and keen powers of observation, Sander immortalized not only the outward appearance of his contemporaries but also their social and cultural diversity. Thus, August Sander’s photographic work stands not only for individual expressiveness but also for a comprehensive reflection on human society in a time of change.

The publication *Faces of Time: Sixty Photographs of Germans by August Sander (1876–1964) from the 20th Century* presents a collection of portraits of a wide variety of people from the city of Siegen and its surrounding area. Among those portrayed are craftsmen as well as academics, and the style of the images is characterized by strong faces against neutral backgrounds. This shifts the focus entirely onto the person and contextualizes them through their professions.
With The Face of Time, Sander documented the structures of the Weimar Republic, which were marked by profound changes. The works stand on their own, yet unfold their full impact when viewed in context. In this way, Sander succeeded in sketching 20th-century society and painting a multifaceted picture of its diversity and complexity.

The introductory foreword to the publication was written by the Expressionist writer Alfred Döblin and first published in 1929 by Kurt Wolff. In 1936, the work was banned under the Nazi regime. It was not until 20 years after Sander’s death that the publication was reissued.

Critically, Antlitz der Zeit is regarded as a seminal work of photo-literature and has received attention in numerous print media. Thus, the publication is not only a historical document but also offers a reflection on human diversity and the social fabric of its time.

• Projekt August Sander - sich zur Schau stellen: Photographie in der Schule. 2011. Köln: Anna-Freud-Schule; Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur.
• August, Sander. 2010. August Sander 2011: Köln wie es war. 1. Aufl. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• August Sander. 1977. The Aperture history of photography series 7. Millerton, N. Y. Aperture.
• August Sander: Toulouse du 1. au 28. fevrier 1979. 1979. Toulouse: Galerie Municipale du Chateau d'Eau.
• August Sander - Franz M. Jansen, Rheinlandschaften im Dialog: [Ausstellungsdauer: 12.05.2002 - 18.08.2002]. 2002. With the assistance of M. Jochimsen and A. Sander. Schriftenreihe des Vereins August-Macke-Haus e.V Nr. 41. Bonn: Verein August-Macke-Haus.
• August Sander, Kunstkalender 2010: Köln wie es war. 2009. 1. Aufl. Köln: DuMont Kalenderverlag GmbH & Co. KG.
• August Sander - Fotokunst-Kalender 2012: Köln wie es war. 2011. With the assistance of S. August. 1., neue Ausg. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• August Sander - Fotokunst-Kalender 2013: Köln wie es war. 2012. With the assistance of S. August. 1., neue Ausg. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• August Sander - Der Rhein und das Siebengebirge. 2012. Köln: Emons, H J.
• August Sander - Fotokunst-Kalender 2014: Köln wie es war. 2013. With the assistance of S. August. 1., neue Ausg. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• August Sander - Fotokunst-Kalender 2015: Köln wie es war. 2014. With the assistance of S. August. 1. Aufl., neue Ausg. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• August Sander - Fotokunst-Kalender 2016: Köln wie es war. 2015. With the assistance of S. August. 1. Aufl. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• Baacke, Annika. 2014. “Fotografie zwischen Kunst und Dokumentation.” Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Diss., 2013, Freie Universität Berlin.
• Baacke, Annika. 2014. “Fotografie zwischen Kunst und Dokumentation.” epubli GmbH.
• Blüher, Joachim, ed. 2014. August Sander - Helmar Lerski. With the assistance of A. Sander and H. Lerski. Fotografia - Villa Massimo 1. Rom: Villa Massimo.
• Boberg, Ann-Katrin. 2021. August Sander und seine Frauenportäts. 1. Auflage, digitale Originalausgabe. München: GRIN Verlag.
• Boberg, Ann-Katrin. 2021. August Sander und seine Frauenporträts. 1. Auflage. München: GRIN Verlag.
• Brenne, Hans Rudolf, ed. 1998. Das neue Bild vom Menschen: August Sander und die traditionelle Portraitphotographie ; 23. August bis 25. Oktober 1998, Städtisches Kramer-Museum der Stadt Kempen ; [erscheint anläßlich der Ausstellung Das Neue Bild vom Menschen - August Sander und die Traditionelle Portraitphotographie]. With the assistance of A. Sander. Ratingen: Preuß.
• Brücken-Stadt Köln: Fotografien von 1900 bis heute. 2014. With the assistance of W. Schäfke, H. G. Esch, C. Laschet, A. Sander and K.-H. Schmölz. 1. Aufl. Köln: Bachem.
• Centre Georges Pompidou, ed. 2022. Allemagne, années 1920, nouvelle objectivité, August Sander. With the assistance of A. Sander. Paris: Centre Pompidou.
• Conrath-Scholl, Gabriele, ed. 2008. August Sander: Menschen und Landschaften zwischen Sieg und Westerwald. With the assistance of A. Sander. Altenkirchen: Kreisverwaltung; Kreissparkasse.
• Deeken, Annette. 2024. August Sander: Eine Biographie. Dresden: KUNSTBLATT.
• Dekiert, Marcus, and Roland Krischel, eds. 2013. Von Mensch zu Mensch: Wilhelm Leibl & August Sander ; [anlässlich der Ausstellung Von Mensch zu Mensch. Wilhelm Leibl & August Sander, 17. Mai bis 11. August 2013 im Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Köln]. With the assistance of W. Leibl, G. Conrath-Scholl, G. Czymmek and R. Knipper. München: Hirmer.
• August Sander: Fotogr. von 1906 - 1945. 1980. With the assistance of A. Sander, B. Becher and H. Becher. Köln: Rheinland-Verlag.
• Dühr, Elisabeth, ed. 1996. Im Bilde reisen: Moselansichten von William Turner bis August Sander ; Katalog zur Ausstellung. Koblenz: Görres.
• August Sander – KÖLN-Fotografien 2017. 2016. With the assistance of A. Sander. 1. Aufl. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• Fässler, Barbara. 2014. August Sander: Fotografia, archivio e consocenza. Milano: postmedia books.
• Fässler, Barbara, and August Sander. 2014. Fotografie, Archiv und Erkenntnis im Werk von August Sander. Bern: Edition Atelier.
• Fernández, Nacho, ed. 2002. August Sander, retratos: La mujer en el proyecto Hombres del siglo XX ; Santander Central Hispano Fundación ; [estelibro ha sido publicado con motivo de la Exposición August Sander, Retratos, celebrada en la Sala de Exposiciones de la Fundación del 12 de junio al 21 de julio de 2002]. With the assistance of A. Sander and S. Lange. Madrid: Fábrica.
• Absence of Subject: The Images of Michael Somoroff and August Sander ; [An Exhibition and Publication Presented on the Occasion of the Venice Biennale 2011, Galerie Brigitte Schenk, Plazza San Marco, Venice, 31. May - 15 July, 2011]. 2011. With the assistance of M. Somoroff. Köln: König.
• Psychogramme und Seelenlandschaften: 28. Juni - 31. August 1997. 1997. Darmstadt: Galerie Sander.
• August Sander, Sardinien: Photographien einer Italienreise 1927 = August Sander, Sardegna ; [diese Publikation erscheint anlässlich der Ausstellung "August Sander, Sardegna, 1927", Galleria Communale d'Arte di Cagliari, 17.Oktober/17 ottobre 2009 - 3. Januar/3 gennaio 2010 ; "August Sander, Sardinien, 1927", Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur, Köln/Colonia, April/Aprile - August/Agosto 2011]. 2009. With the assistance of A. Sander and R. Knipper. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• Gertz, Corina, and Dieter Marschall. 2018. Corina Gertz - das abgewandte Porträt: Zwischen August Sander und Vermeer. [1. Auflage]. Oberhausen: Galerie Peter Tedden.
• Göbler, Barbara, ed. 1999. August Sander: Landschaften ; [anläßlich der Ausstellung "August Sander: Landschaftsphotographien" der Photographischen Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur im MediaPark Köln, vom 29. Januar - 28. März 1999 sowie im Landesmuseum Mainz vom 19. September - 31. Oktober 1999]. With the assistance of A. Sander and O. Lugon. München, Paris: London : Schirmer/Mosel.
• Goethe-Institut, ed. 1980. August Sander: Photographie sociale. Goethe-Institut, Paris, 7 février-7 mars 1980. Paris: Goethe-Institut.
• Haverkamp, Anselm. 2009. Begreifen im Bild: Methodische Annäherungen an die Aktualität der Kunst ; (Antonello da Messina, August Sander). Kleine Edition 1. Berlin: August-Verl.
• Hoffmeister, Bernard. 2014. Sinngebung durch einen fotografischen Blick. Walter Benjamin und August Sander in ihrer Tätigkeit als Analytiker der Gesellschaft. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH.
• Kwon, Ina, and Helmut Völter. 2024. Postures: Portraits Du Centre Pompidou D'après August Sander = Haltungen : Menschen Des Centre Pompidou Nach August Sander. Edited by Florian Ebner, Andreas Langfeld, Valentine Brégeon, and Katharina Täschner. Leipzig: Spector Books.
• Lampe, Angela, ed. 2022. Deutschland - 1920er Jahre - neue Sachlichkeit - August Sander. München: Schirmer/Mosel.
• August Sander: Linzer Jahre, 1901 - 1909 ; [anläßlich der Ausstellung August Sander, Linzer Jahre (1901 - 1909) ; Landesgalerie Linz: 1. Dezember 2005 bis 8. Januar 2006 ; Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur, Köln, 10. Februar bis 7. Mai 2006]. 2006. With the assistance of A. Sander, G. Conrath-Scholl, M. Hochleitner and S. Lange. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• Lange, Susanne, ed. 2001. Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts: August Sander ; Studienband ; [diese Publikation erscheint begleitend zur siebenbändigen Neuauflage von August Sanders Werk "Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts", anläßlich der gleichnamigen Ausstellung in der Photographischen Sammlung/SK-Stiftung Kultur, Köln, vom 21. September bis 18. November 2001 ; am 19. und 20. Oktober 2001 veranstaltet die Photographische Sammlung ein Interdisziplinäres Symposium im Rahmen der Ausstellung "August Sander: Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts" im Mediapark, Köln]. With the assistance of G. Conrath-Scholl and A. Sander. München: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Matz, Reinhard. 2016. August Sanders "Köln wie es war": Eine Revision. LeseZeichen. Köln: Greven Verlag.
• Mensch, Bernhard, ed. 2001. Pathos der Sachlichkeit: Die Entdeckung der Schönheit der Industriekultur : Meisterwerke der Fotografie von: Albert Renger-Patzsch, Karl Blossfeldt, August Sander, Chargesheimer, Bernd und Hilla Becher ; Herausgeber: Bernhard Mensch und Peter Pachnicke. Oberhausen: Ludwig Galerie, Schloss Oberhausen.
• Meyer, Thomas, Moritz Neumüller, and Thomas Kellner. 2025. Facetten der Großstadt: Nach August Sander = Facets of the city : after August Sander. 1. Auflage. Edited by Thomas Kellner. Berlin: Seltmann Publishers GmbH.
• Neri, Francesco. 2018. Francesco Neri - Farmers: Photographien 2009-2018 : August-Sander-Preis 2018. Köln: Die Photographische Sammlung/ SK Stiftung Kultur.
• August Sander: Das Siebengebirge ; Naturbilder aus den Jahren 1926 bis 1953 ; Ausstellung, Schloss Drachenburg, Königswinter am Rhein, 11. April bis 30. Juni 1990 ; Begleitheft. 1990. With the assistance of A. Sander and D. C. Schütz. Köln i.e. Pulheim-Brauweiler: Rheinland-Verl.
• August Sanders unbeugsamer Sohn: Erich Sander als Häftling und Gefängnisfotograf im Zuchthaus Siegburg 1935-1944 ; Katalog zur Ausstellung im NS-Dokumentationszentrum der Stadt Köln vom 23. Oktober 2015 bis 31. Januar 2016. 2015. Veröffentlichungen des NS-Dokumentationszentrums der Stadt Köln Band 1. Berlin: Metropol.
• Menschen vor Flusslandschaft: August Sander und die Fotografie der Gegenwart ; aus der Sammlung Lothar Schirmer ; [Pinakothek der Moderne, München, 2. April bis 24. August 2014]. 2014. With the assistance of A. Sander, I. Graeve Ingelmann and L. Schirmer. [Neue Ausg.]. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• Gemalte Fotografie, Rheinlandschaften: Theo Champion, F. M. Jansen, August Sander (Fotogr.) ; [Rhein. Landesmuseum Bonn, Ausstellung 11. 12. 1975 - 26. 1. 1976]. 1975. With the assistance of J. Heusinger von Waldegg. Kunst und Altertum am Rhein Nr. 60. Köln, Bonn: Rheinland-Verlag; Habelt [in Komm.].
• Roland, Berthold, ed. 1989. Nicola Perscheid, Theodor und Jacob Hilsdorf, August Sander: Der rheinland-pfälzische Beitrag zur Geschichte der Photographie ; Landesmuseum Mainz, 22. Oktober bis 19. November 1989. With the assistance of N. Perscheid. Mainz: Schmidt.
• Sachsse, Rolf. 1989. August Sander in Viersen. With the assistance of A. Sander. Viersen, Beiträge zu einer Stadt 15. Viersen: Eckers.
• Sander, August. Menschen Des 20. Jahrhunderts: Ein Kulturwerk in Lichtbildern, Eingeteilt in Sieben Gruppen = People of the 20th Century. With the assistance of S. Lange. München, Paris, London: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Sander, August. Werkausgabe. Köln: Kölnisches Stadtmuseum.
• Sander, Gerd, ed. 1994. August Sander: "In der Photographie gibt es keine ungeklärten Schatten" ; eine Ausstellung des August-Sander-Archives, Stiftung City-Treff, Köln ; [eine Publikation zur Ausstellung August Sander - "In der Photographie Gibt es Keine Ungeklärten Schatten!", Staatliches Puschkin-Museum für Bildende Künste, Moskau, 30.3. bis 17.4.1994 ; Watari-um, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, 14.5 bis 21.8.1994 ; Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn, 10.2 bis 26.3.1995]. With the assistance of A. Sander. Berlin: Ars Nicolai.
• Sander, August. 1929. Antlitz der Zeit: 60 Aufnahmen deutscher Menschen d. 20. Jhs. With the assistance of A. Döblin. München: Transmare-Verlag; Kurt Wolff Verlag.
• Sander, August. 1962. Deutschenspiegel: Menschen d. 20. Jahrhunderts. With the assistance of H. Lützeler. Gütersloh: S. Mohn.
• Sander, August. 1971. Menschen ohne Maske. Luzern, Frankfurt (M.): Bucher.
• Sander, August. 1973. August Sander, photographer extraordinary. With the assistance of G. Sander, H.-P. Renner and M. Oberli-Turner. London: Thames and Hudson.
• Sander, August. 1975. Rheinlandschaften: Photographien 1929 - 1946. München: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Sander, August. 1976. Menschen ohne Maske: Photographien 1906 - 1952. With the assistance of G. Sander. Sonderausg. München: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Sander, August. 1977. Antlitz der Zeit: 60 Aufnahmen dt. Menschen d. 20. Jh. Neudr. [d. Ausg. München, Berlin], Wolff-Transmare-Verl., 1929. München: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Sander, August. 1980. Menschen des 20. [zwanzigsten] Jahrhunderts: Portraitphotographien von 1892 - 1952. München: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Sander, August. 1980. Photographs of an epoch 1904-1959: Man of the twentieth century, Rhineland landscapes, nature studies, architectural and industrial photographs, images of Sardinia ; [catalogue for the exhibition presented by the Philadelphia Museum of Art]. An Aperture monograph. New York, Oxford: Aperture; Phaidon Press.
• Sander, August. 1981. Hommes du XXe [vingtième] siècle: Portraits photographiques, 1892-1952. Paris: Chêne; Hachette.
• Sander, August. 1981. Rheinlandschaften: Photogr. 1929 - 1946. With the assistance of W. Kemp. München: Schirmer/Mosel.
• Sander, August. 1982. August Sander. With the assistance of A. Döblin. 1. Aufl., 1. - 10. Tsd. Leipzig: Fotokinoverlag.
• Sander, August. 1984. Köln-Portrait. Köln: Wienand.
• Sander, August. 1985. Die Zerstörung Kölns: Photogr. 1945 - 46. With the assistance of W. Ranke. München: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Sander, August. 1986. Citizens of the twentieth century: Portrait photographs, 1892-1952. Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press.
• Sander, August. 1988. August Sander: Siebzig Fotografien aus dem J. Paul Getty Museum : Ausstellung vom 22. September-30. Oktober 1988. Rolandseck: Stiftung Bahnhof Rolandseck.
• Sander, August. 1988. Köln wie es war. With the assistance of R. Sachsse and M. Euler-Schmidt. Köln: Köln. Stadtmuseum.
• Sander, August. 1990. Antlitz der Zeit: 60 Aufnahmen deutscher Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts. Schirmer's visuelle Bibliothek Nr. 17. München: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Sander, August. 1994. Köln-Portrait. Köln: Wienand.
• Sander, August. 1994. Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts: Portraitphotographien von 1892 - 1952. With the assistance of U. Keller. München: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Sander, August. 1995. Köln wie es war. Werkausgabe. Köln: Kölnisches Stadtmuseum.
• Sander, August. 1997. August Sander. Aperture masters of photography. Köln: Könemann.
• Sander, August. 1999. August Sander: 1876 - 1964. With the assistance of S. Lange. Köln, Madrid, London, New York, Paris, Tokyo: TASCHEN.
• Sander, August. 2002. Menschen Des 20. Jahrhunderts. München, Paris, London: Schirmer-Mosel.
• Sander, August. 2003. Antlitz der Zeit: Sechzig Aufnahmen deutscher Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts. Revidierte Neuaufl. München: Schirmer/Mosel.
• Sander, August. 2006. Face of Our Time: Sixty Portraits of Twentieth-Century Germans. Munich, London: Schirmer Art Books.
• Sander, August. 2009. Köln, wie es war. Köln: Emons.
• Sander, August. 2010. Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts: Ein Kulturwerk in Lichtbildern eingeteilt in sieben Gruppen. Bearb. Neuausg. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• Sander, August. 2013. People of the 20th Century: A Cultural Work of Photographs Divided into Seven Groups. Rev. ed. Edited by Gabriele Conrath-Scholl and Susanne Lange. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• Sander, August. 2014. Rheinlandschaften: Photographien 1926 - 1946. With the assistance of W. Kemp. Überarb. Neuaufl. zum 40-jährigen Verl.-Jub. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• Sander, August. 2015. Landscapes: Photographs 1926-1946. Chicago, London: The University of Chicago Press.
• Sander, August. 2016. Der Westerwald im Spiegel der Zeit. Altenkirchen: Kreisverwaltung Altenkirchen.
• Sander, August. 2017. August Sander: Das Gesicht der Landschaft : Rhein und Siebengebirge. Königswinter, Köln: Siebengebirgsmuseum der Stadt Königswinter; Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur.
• Sander, August. 2017. August Sander - KÖLN-Fotografien 2018. 1. Auflage. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• Sander, August. 2018. August Sander – KÖLN-Fotografien 2019. 1. Auflage. Edited by DUMONT DUMONT Kalenderverlag. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• Sander, August. 2018. August Sander, Persécutés/persécuteurs Des Hommes Du XXe Siècle: = August Sander, Verfolgte/Verfolger, Menschen Des 20. Jahrhunderts = August Sander, Persecuted/persecutors, People of the 20th Century. Première édition. Edited by Jacques Fredj. Göttingen: Steidl.
• Sander, August. 2019. August Sander – KÖLN-Fotografien 2020. 1. Auflage. Edited by DUMONT DUMONT Kalenderverlag. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• Sander, August. 2019. August Sander - Antlitz der Zeit: 60 Fotos deutscher Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts : mit gesammelten Rezensionen 1929 - 1933. With the assistance of A. Döblin. München: Schirmer/Mosel.
• Sander, August. 2020. August Sander – KÖLN-Fotografien 2021. Spiralbindung, im Polybeutel, int. Kalendarium, Duoton, Textblatt. Köln: DUMONT Kalenderverlag.
• Sander, August. 2022. Antlitz der Zeit: 60 Aufnahmen deutscher Menschen d. 20. Jhs. With the assistance of A. Döblin. Leipzig, Frankfurt am Main: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
• Sander, August. 2022. Editing Society: Dokumente zu einem fotografischen Monument des 20. Jahrhunderts. Edited by Florian Ebner and Gabriele Conrath-Scholl. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• Sander, August. 2026. Wesen und Werden der Photographie: Rundfunkvorträge für den WDR, 1931. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• Sander, August, and Gabriele Conrath-Scholl. 2018. August Sander - Meisterwerke. München, Köln: Schirmer/Mosel; Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur.
• Sander, August, and Gabriele Conrath-Scholl. 2018. August Sander - Masterpieces: 153 Plates Reproduced from Vintage Prints. Munich, Cologne: Schirmer/Mosel; Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur.
• Sander, August, and Ulrich Keller. 1982. Menschen des 20. [zwanzigsten] Jahrhunderts: Portraitphotographien ; 1892 - 1952. Frankfurt (Main): [Büchergilde Gutenberg].
• Sauquet, Sílvia, ed. 2000. Las formas del mundo: La nueva objetividad alemana en la colección Wilde, 17 diciembre de 1999 - 12 de marzo del 2000 ; [Karl Blossfeldt, August Sander, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Aenne Biermann, Alfred Ehrhardt] ; obras de la colección de Ann y Jürgen Wilde, en préstamo permanente al Museu Sprengel de Hannover. 1. ed. Barcelona: Centre Cultural de la Fundación "La Caixa".
• Shaw, Hannah. 2022. “August Sander’s Regional Photobook Series, Nazification, and the Politics of Cultural Landscape.” Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 85 (3): 309–36. doi.org/10.1515/ZKG-2022-3003.
• August Sander, Karl Blossfeldt, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Bernd Und Hilla Becher, Vergleichende Konzeptionen: [Anläßlich Der Eröffnungsausstellung Der Photographischen Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur Im MediaPark, Köln, Vom 23. Mai - 21. Dezember 1997]. 1997. With the assistance of A. Sander. München, Paris, London: Schirmer/Mosel.
• August Sander - Sehen, Beobachten und Denken: Photographien ; [anlässlich der Ausstellung "August Sander - Voir, Observer et Penser", die vom 8. September bis 20. Dezember 2009 in der Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris, gezeigt wird]. 2009. With the assistance of A. Sander and G. Conrath-Scholl. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• August Sander - Seeing, Observing and Thinking: Photographs ; [On the Occasion of the Exhibition August Sander - Seeing, Observing and Thinking, from September 8 Until December 20, 2009, at Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris]. 2009. With the assistance of A. Sander and G. Conrath-Scholl. München: Schirmer Mosel.
• Zeitgenossen: August Sander und die Kunstszene der 20er Jahre im Rheinland ; Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle Köln, 19. Mai bis 30. Juli 2000 ; Kunsthalle zu Kiel, [vom 17. September bis 12. November 2000 ; diese Publikation erscheint anläßlich der Ausstellung Zeitgenossen - August Sander und die Kunstszene der 20er Jahre im Rheinland]. 2000. With the assistance of B. Bernard and A. Sander. Göttingen: Steidl.
• Spiegel der Zeit: August Sander ; aus dem Zyklus Menschen des 20. Jahrhundert. 2023. Gera: Museum für angewandte Kunst.
• August Sander: Eine Reise Nach Sardinien ; Fotografien, 1927 ; [Anlässlich Der Ausstellung "Eine Reise Nach Sardinien" Mit Fotografien Von August Sander, 1927 Im Sprengel-Museum Hannover Vom 26. November 1995 Bis Zum 26. Mai 1996]. 1995. With the assistance of A. Sander, A. Wilde and S. Lange. Hannover: Sprengel-Museum.
• Stadt und Land: Photographien von August Sander ; Westfäl. Kunstverein, 1. - 30. November 1975. 1975. Münster: Westfäl. Kunstverein.
• Menschen des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts: August Sander und seine Nachfolge ; Städtische Galerie Bietigheim-Bissingen, 20. Oktober 2012 bis 6. Januar 2013 ; [zur Ausstellung Menschen des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts, August Sander und Seine Nachfolge]. 2012. With the assistance of I. Schenk-Weininger and P. Lanfermann. Bietigheim-Bissingen: Städtische Galerie.
• Stein-Karnbach, Annegret, ed. 1995. August Sander - Photographien 1902 - 1939. With the assistance of A. Sander. Patrimonia 99. Berlin: Kulturstiftung der Länder.
• August Sander. 2017. Köln: TASCHEN.
• Temme, Frank. 2016. Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts. Ausgewählte Fotografien von August Sander. 1. Auflage, digitale Originalausgabe. München: GRIN Verlag.
• Temme, Frank. 2016. Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts. Ausgewählte Fotografien von August Sander. 1. Auflage. München: GRIN Verlag.
• Bergische Originale: Von Pina Bausch bis Vinzenz Jakob von Zuccalmaglio, von Johann Fischer bis Käthe Overath und August Sander. 2012. Gummersbach: Zweckverband Naturpark Bergisches Land.

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