Friedrich Seidenstücker

Friedrich Seidenstücker (German, 1883-1966) studied mechanical engineering from 1901 to 1903 in Hagen. In 1904 he continued his studies in Berlin, and simultaneously began devoting himself to sculpting and photography. During WWI, he worked as an aeronautical engineer at the Zeppelin-Bau AG in Potsdam. From 1918 onwards he studied sculpting, traveling to Munich, Rome and Paris between 1921 and 1923. Afterwards he started freelancing as sculptor and photographer in Berlin, but was by far more successful with his photography. His animal photography, taken at the Berlin Zoo, and Berlin street scenes, made him most famous, but he also photographed nudes. In 1930 he became a permanent employee at the Ullstein Verlag. His photographs were published in illustrated magazines, such as die neue linie, Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, Die Dame, among others. After 1945 he worked as a freelance photographer again. His photographs from the war-torn Berlin, especially the Tiergarten, are hauntingly memorable. Even though he was popular during his lifetime, after his death Seidenstücker was soon forgotten. The Berlinische Galerie was instrumental in rediscovering Seidenstücker as photographer of Berlin.