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Kunst in der Photographie, Die
Die Kunst in der Photographie

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Fotografie des 19. – 21. Jahrhunderts (Katalog nur online verfügbar)
Auktionsdatum 28.11.2026

Die Kunst in der Photographie. 1897/98. 10 issues (of 12) with 51 photogravures.(of 60) on plates with photographer's name, printer's name and title. Various sizes between circa 20 x 14 cm or reverse (39 x 27 cm). Presented in loose portfolios in linen portfolio with title and illustration on front cover. Vol. I 1897 and issue Vol. II, issues1-4 1898, Berlin, Julius Becker.

The magazine Die Kunst in der Photographie was published in Berlin by Julius Becker from 1897-1899, then by Martin Oldenbourg. In 1901 Wilhelm Knapp’s publishing house in Halle an der Saale continued it with initially 66 issues. The magazine was distributed as individual issues in a folder designed by Hermann Hirzel. In 1908 publication ceased.
The magazine’s editor, Franz Goerke, an amateur photographer, was a founding member of the “Freie photographische Vereinigung” (Free Photographic Association) in Berlin. In 1896, the association decided to create a journal to showcase photographic developments from around the world, intending to gain recognition for photography as an art form.
In 1897, the first issue of Die Kunst in der Photographie was published. In addition to reproductions of works by renowned photographic pioneers, such as Alfred Stieglitz, Sarah Choate Sears, Rudolf Eickmeyer Jr., amateur photographers’ works were published as large-format photogravures or autotypes. The emphasis was on the Pictorialists’ work and their aesthetic merit. As the first photographic journal in the world, it treated art photography as an international movement. Franz Goerke was a main author among the various renowned contributors. The magazine’s sophisticated and insightful articles covering international photographers, photographic clubs and associations as well as exhibitions, declined sharply as of 1901.
Die Kunst in der Photographie contributed decisively to the dissemination of photographic images and the development of photography in the Western world. It strongly influenced subsequent publications, such as Camera Work, edited by Alfred Stieglitz. Unfortunately, this important journal is an underappreciated historical document that still awaits detailed research. Hardly any institutional German library owns it in its entirety.
Photogravure plates of works by the following photographers are included in the 2 volumes offered here: Craig Annan, Robert Demachy, Hugo Henneberg, Theodor and Oskar Hofmeister, Heinrich Kühn, Leonard Misonne, Alfred Stieglitz, Frank M. Sutcliffe and Hans Watzek.

Literatur: Rolf Krauss, "Die Kunst in der Photographie, the German Camera Work", in: History of Photography 10, no. 4: pp.265-297 (1986) & 11, no. 1: pp. 1-12 (1987).