Industrie-Ruhrgebiet (Industry, the Ruhr) c. 1920s

Else Thalemann made this photograph, Industrie-Ruhrgebiet, sometime in the early to mid-20th century. I imagine she was standing somewhere within the industrial landscape, looking up to capture these workers seemingly suspended in the sky. There's a strong, almost palpable sense of labor here; the figures are not static. They’re actively engaged with the machinery. You can almost hear the clanging and feel the vibrations of the industry surrounding them. It's so interesting how Thalemann chose this specific angle. It transforms the ordinary, the everyday work, into something monumental, almost heroic. I'm thinking about other photographers of the period like Lewis Hine, who also documented industrial labor. But where Hine often focused on the human cost, Thalemann seems to be interested in the sheer scale and force of industry itself. Each artist adds to this ongoing visual dialogue, challenging us to consider what we value and what we choose to see.