Ludwig Windstosser
Untitled (Mannesmann factory)
1950s
18 vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver prints on Agfa-Brovira paper. Each approx. 29.5 x 23 cm, both portrait and landscape formats. Each print with photographer's stamp and typewritten title on the verso. In original box with embossed 'Mannesmann' signet on the lid.
Subjects:
Profile; Bandstahl; Grobblechwalzwerk; Hochofen; Rohr- und Bodenwerk; Thomasstahlwerk; Hochofen; Schrott; Steuerleute; SM-Stahlwerk; Rheinblick; Erzentladung; Kesselputzer; Werksiegel auf Grobblech; Junggesellenwohnheim; Elektrostahlwerk; SM-Stahlwerk; Winderhitzer
Further images on request
As the most renowned industrial photographer of the post-war era, Ludwig Windstosser had a considerable impact on the image of the German economic miracle. During the 1950s, he documented various workspaces of the steel-processing group Mannesmann-Werke in numerous shots. As a co-founder of the group 'fotoform', he stayed true to the principles of “subjective photography” even in the context of such a commission and repeatedly abandoned the viewpoint of the objective documentary photographer: abstractly legible structures with graphic impact, strong contrasts of light and shade, negative reversals and double exposures pertain to his repertoire. The set of works on offer here originally belonged to the former chairman of the board of directors of Mannesmann-Röhrenwerke and was then passed on to the family of the present proprietors. It is not known how many of the boxes were produced in total. Considering they were conceived as a gift for the board of directors, however, it can be assumed that the number was limited accordingly.