Albert Zander Explained

Albert Zander (1 January 1864 in Chodzież near Posen – 12 August 1897) was a German engineer, photographer and entrepreneur.^[1] He was instrumental in the emergence of German tabloid journalism.^[2]

As an engineer, he was initially employed by the Berlin machine factory.^{[3] [4]} On 26 May 1895, Zander photographed a fire that broke out on the company premises. Two of his photographs of this event were published by the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung.^[5]

Together with a partner, the merchant and photographer Siegmund Labisch, also from the Posen area, he founded the photo studio Zander & Labisch-Illustrations-Photographen in Berlin on 19 June 1895,^[6] which developed into the first German photo agency to produce and distribute up-to-date photographs for press organs in the spirit of photo journalism.^[7]

The photo studio developed considerably until Zander's early death: ten percent of all press photos published by the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung in 1897 came from Zander & Labisch.^[8]

Zander died in Charlottenburg^[9] at the age of 33.

Further reading

• Anna Rosemann: Zander & Labisch – Auf den Spuren einer bekannten Fotoagentur. Masterarbeit zur Geschichte der Fotoagentur Zander & Labisch, Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Lehrstuhl für deutsch-jüdische Literatur- und Kulturgeschichte, Exil und Migration, February 2017

Notes and References

1. http://www.deutschefotothek.de/documents/wer/14131007 Zander und Labisch
2. http://www.sueddeutsche.de/medien/anfaenge-des-boulevardjournalismus-in-deutschland-angstlust-patriotismus-und-eine-prise-exotismus-1.3591956-5 Anfänge des Boulevardjournalismus in Deutschland
3. Christine Walther: Siegertypen: zur fotografischen Vermittlung eines gesellschaftlichen Selbstbildes um 1900. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 2007., .
4. http://www.luise-berlin.de/lexikon/mitte/m/maschinenfabrik_flohr.htm Maschinenfabrik Flohr
5. Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, Heft 21 (1895), .
6. Berliner Handelsregister 91 HRA 13725 +40
7. Anna Rosemann: Zander & Labisch (1895–1939) – Auf den Spuren einer bekannten Fotoagentur. In Fotogeschichte, issue 144 (2017). At fotogeschichte.info, retrieved 4 September 2021.
8. Bernd Weise: Fotografie in deutschen Zeitschriften, Teil: 1883–1923. (Ausstellungsserie Fotografie in Deutschland von 1850 bis heute) Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ed.), Stuttgart 1991, .
9. StA Charlottenburg, Sterbeurkunde Nr. 1617/1897