Künstlerische Photographie : Entwicklung und Einfluss in Deutschland 1917

Editor: Here we have *Künstlerische Photographie : Entwicklung und Einfluss in Deutschland*, or "Artistic Photography: Development and Influence in Germany", a print from 1917 by Fritz Matthies-Masuren. It shows what seems to be the cover of a photography book. On one side, a warm-toned portrait of a mother with her children and on the other the book’s ornate title. I am curious about this piece. What are your impressions, especially regarding its historical background? Curator: What I love about this image is that it provides insight into both the burgeoning field of artistic photography, particularly within the German Expressionist movement, and it provides a glimpse into book design from that period. The contrast is striking: the organic flow of the book's Art Nouveau lettering sits adjacent to the stark intimacy of the photograph. Tell me, do you think the selection of this photographic image, a depiction of motherhood, for the cover of a book about the _influence_ of photography in Germany might be significant? Editor: Well, it speaks to photography’s power to capture intimate, personal moments, versus staged and grandiose historical tableaus. Curator: Precisely! Also, notice how the cover uses modern photographic reproduction techniques— gravure and "thirty tone variations"—to create this particular impression. It's subtle, yet powerful in its implications about the future of art. Editor: I never thought of it that way. Now, considering the book’s title, that photographic print suddenly takes on a much larger scope than just its original intimate intention! Curator: Right? The selection elevates the seemingly simple and domestic, implying artistic significance through capturing everyday life.