The Photographic Collection at the Museum Folkwang
The Photographic Collection at the Museum Folkwang was established as an independent department in 1978. Its foundation was initiated by the transfer of approximately 3,500 photographs from the study collection of the Folkwang Photography School. Today, the collection comprises over 75,000 photographs, predominantly vintage prints by c. 1,300 photographers, as well as the estates and archives of prominent photographers such as Otto Steinert, Errell (Richard Levy), Germaine Krull, Helmuth Kurth, Helmar Lerski, Walter Peterhans, Fee Schlapper, Marie-Claude Deffarge & Gordian Troeller, and the Archive Michael Schmidt.
The collection primarily focuses on the 1920s and 1930s, the 1950s and 1960s, as well as contemporary photography. However, significant works from the 19th century also represent earlier periods of photography. The scope of the collection includes artistic, documentary, and journalistic photography.
The Department for Photography, with six employees, is responsible for cataloguing and conserving the holdings, organizing a rotating exhibition program with several projects per year, continuous acquisitions, scholarly research on the collection, and providing public access. The collection is accessible digitally. For in-depth research, a local database is available in the study room by appointment. Documentation of past exhibitions and a specialist photographic library complement such services.