Heinrich Zille (1858–1929) made his name with drawings that cast a socially critical yet humorous light on the “common” milieu around 1900. Years after his death, it emerged that the famous illustrator had also been an enthusiastic photographer.
Unlike the urban photographers of his time, Zille was not interested in the city where it was showing itself off. His pictures record everyday life in Berlin.
In summer 1898 Zille took photographs of the weekly market on Friedrich-Karl-Platz (now Klausernerplatz) in Charlottenburg near the palace. He came here often: 26 animated pictures of traders, children and customers have survived in the estate.
Zille’s snapshots of everyday life stand out as lively and spontaneous. Many of his motifs offer a foretaste of what was later called street photography, which first blossomed in the 1930s. Zille’s photographs were hidden for a long time. He never published them during his lifetime.
Untitled (Market on Friedrich-Karl-Platz)
Summer 1898
Collodion paper print
8,7 x 10,9 cm
Gifted by Berliner Bank AG, 1986
