Lotte Herrlich
Encyclopedia
Lotte Herrlich was a German
photographer. She is regarded as the most important female photographer of the German naturism
. This mainly was during the 1920s
, in which the Freikorperkultur
(Free Body Culture) was popular within Germany, before the Nazi Party assumed power (1930s
), promptly prohibiting it.
, in 1883. She spent most of her life in Hamburg
.
Lotte Herrlich began in photography after her son Rolf was born. She started doing family photographs and child portraits for a pastime. Then she continued her self-taught art with portrait
s and landscapes
, nevertheless Lotte found herself particularly engrossed through the years, for portraying the physical development of her son with a collection of naturist photographs. Lotte Herrlich's intense interest of naturistic photography so awoke.
Such work was discovered by the Naturistenzeitschrift Die Schönheit (The Beauty, nudist magazine), and it then published Lotte Herrlich's ensuing production: a thousand photographs of children, nine hundred of poses, and still some photographs of landscapes too.
Lotte Herrlich shot her naturist and conventional studio
photographs mostly within two improvised rooms inside her small home of Hamburg, exploiting lighting and simple furniture, and so portraying the nude bodies, which were mostly of female model
s. The poses always were calm, ordinary-world scenes, whereas the models seemed resting, instead of posing. Karl Toepfer wrote: "In her interior shots, Herrlich avoided altogether the secretive atmosphere of the studio, the pose, and the cosmetic artifice, with the result that the naked body appeared as an extension of nature into the timeless bourgeois
home."
Lotte Herrlich's naturism belonged amongst the FKK movement (Freikorperkultur, or Free Body Culture). Such nudity ideals were quite popular particularly in Germany, with its many associations, although this would last until about 1933, when the assuming Nazi regime dissolved them.
Until then, Herrlich's work was featured in short lived magazines; Mann Und Weib (Man and woman) and Urania are examples. Her books of naturism were published mainly during the 1920s
. The physical development of her son Rolf was captured in thirty pictures that were also published in the 1920s. He would become a professional photographer of nudism too. The two volumes of Seliges Nacktsein (1927) are collection of adolescent nudes. Alessandro Bertolotti
wrote: "The cover of the second volumes shows a boy and two girls, hand in hand and dancing a joyful farandole, suggesting - by fluid, undulating outlines similar to those of the bacchic dancers of Jugendstil - the ideal of a fraternal friendship in perfect accord with German sensibility".
Lotte Herrlich's production was broader actually, producing other conventional portraits, of clad people, landscapes, domestic animals, and even doll
s, and her work can be found in publications of even after the Second War
. Particularly, since the 1930s
and until the end of her professional career Lotte Herrlich photographed nude children (Kinderkarte), mainly for divers collections of postcard
s (Kinderköpfe), whose printing was resumed after the war, during the 1950s
.
Lotte Herrlich died at Eutin
, in 1956.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
photographer. She is regarded as the most important female photographer of the German naturism
Naturism
Naturism or nudism is a cultural and political movement practising, advocating and defending social nudity in private and in public. It may also refer to a lifestyle based on personal, family and/or social nudism....
. This mainly was during the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
, in which the Freikorperkultur
Freikörperkultur
Freikörperkultur is a German movement whose name translates to Free Body Culture. It endorses a naturistic approach to sports and community living. Behind that is the joy of the experience of nature or also of being nude itself, without direct relationship to sexuality. The followers of this...
(Free Body Culture) was popular within Germany, before the Nazi Party assumed power (1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
), promptly prohibiting it.
Life
Lotte Herrlich was born as Olga Clara Katharina Herrlich, at ChemnitzChemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
, in 1883. She spent most of her life in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
Lotte Herrlich began in photography after her son Rolf was born. She started doing family photographs and child portraits for a pastime. Then she continued her self-taught art with portrait
Portrait photography
Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people , in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject...
s and landscapes
Landscape photography
Landscape photography is a genre intended to show different spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. This popular style of photography is practiced by professionals and amateurs alike. Photographs typically capture the presence of nature and are often free...
, nevertheless Lotte found herself particularly engrossed through the years, for portraying the physical development of her son with a collection of naturist photographs. Lotte Herrlich's intense interest of naturistic photography so awoke.
Such work was discovered by the Naturistenzeitschrift Die Schönheit (The Beauty, nudist magazine), and it then published Lotte Herrlich's ensuing production: a thousand photographs of children, nine hundred of poses, and still some photographs of landscapes too.
Lotte Herrlich shot her naturist and conventional studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
photographs mostly within two improvised rooms inside her small home of Hamburg, exploiting lighting and simple furniture, and so portraying the nude bodies, which were mostly of female model
Model (art)
Art models are models who pose for photographers, painters, sculptors, and other artists as part of their work of art. Art models who pose in the nude for life drawing are usually called life models...
s. The poses always were calm, ordinary-world scenes, whereas the models seemed resting, instead of posing. Karl Toepfer wrote: "In her interior shots, Herrlich avoided altogether the secretive atmosphere of the studio, the pose, and the cosmetic artifice, with the result that the naked body appeared as an extension of nature into the timeless bourgeois
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
home."
Lotte Herrlich's naturism belonged amongst the FKK movement (Freikorperkultur, or Free Body Culture). Such nudity ideals were quite popular particularly in Germany, with its many associations, although this would last until about 1933, when the assuming Nazi regime dissolved them.
Until then, Herrlich's work was featured in short lived magazines; Mann Und Weib (Man and woman) and Urania are examples. Her books of naturism were published mainly during the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
. The physical development of her son Rolf was captured in thirty pictures that were also published in the 1920s. He would become a professional photographer of nudism too. The two volumes of Seliges Nacktsein (1927) are collection of adolescent nudes. Alessandro Bertolotti
Alessandro Bertolotti
-Life:He has worked as a director of variety shows for The Italian television channel RAI for twenty-five years.He is also a photographer of female nudes and author of two works on Capri....
wrote: "The cover of the second volumes shows a boy and two girls, hand in hand and dancing a joyful farandole, suggesting - by fluid, undulating outlines similar to those of the bacchic dancers of Jugendstil - the ideal of a fraternal friendship in perfect accord with German sensibility".
Lotte Herrlich's production was broader actually, producing other conventional portraits, of clad people, landscapes, domestic animals, and even doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
s, and her work can be found in publications of even after the Second War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Particularly, since the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
and until the end of her professional career Lotte Herrlich photographed nude children (Kinderkarte), mainly for divers collections of postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
s (Kinderköpfe), whose printing was resumed after the war, during the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
.
Lotte Herrlich died at Eutin
Eutin
Eutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2005, it had some 17,000 inhabitants....
, in 1956.
Selected works
- "Edle Nacktheit" (1920). Twenty pictures of nude women.
- "Rolf" (1924). Thirty shots of Lotte Herrlich's growing son.
- "Neue Aktstudien" (1924). Twelve pictures of naturism.
- "Seliges Nacktsein" (1927).
- "Der schöne nackte Mensch, Bd. 1: Das Weib" (The beautiful naked man, vol 1: The woman. 1928).
- "Der weibliche Akt" (1928). Pictures of women.
External links
- A collection of Lotte Herrlich's postcards and other photographs (FKK-Museum)
- Lotte Herrlich's entry, in Empire of Ecstasy, by Karl Eric Toepfer.
- Library reference
Sources
- Michael Kohler and Gisela Barche, "Das Aktfoto" (1985)
- Jurgen Wulf, "Schonheit und Freude" (1986)
- Alessandro BertolottiAlessandro Bertolotti-Life:He has worked as a director of variety shows for The Italian television channel RAI for twenty-five years.He is also a photographer of female nudes and author of two works on Capri....
, "Books of nudes" (2007) - German Wikipedia (German)
- FKK-Museum (German)
- German site (German)
- Empire of ecstasy, by Karl Eric Toepfer