Farmer’s Daughter
August Sander
German, 1876–1964
c. 1920
A gelatin silver print portrait in which August Sander aimed to document and classify German society by photographing individuals as representative “types,” here presenting a rural farmer’s daughter with direct, unadorned realism.
The encounter is immediate: her steady, unflinching gaze, softly modeled features, and the close head-and-shoulders framing against a blurred background make her presence quietly authoritative.
As part of Sander’s ambitious typological project, this portrait helped establish a modern documentary language that treated ordinary people as subjects of historical and social significance, influencing portraiture and social photography throughout the twentieth century.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
10 3/16 × 7 3/8" (25.8 × 18.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Acquired through the generosity of the family of August Sander
Accession
472.2015.28
Palette
Exhibitions
