Every Picture Came My Way

With the exhibition 'Every Picture Came My Way' the Hilaneh von Kories Gallery pays homage to photographer Herbert Dombrowski, who passed away in 2010. Born in 1917, Dombrowski took up photography as a high-school student. He was 19 years old when his night-time image of the SS St. Louis – taken at the Hamburg Harbour with a second-hand Leica – was published as the magazine cover of 'Reclams Universum' in 1936. Three years later, the ship gained tragic fame as the 'vessel of the doomed'. Carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees, it was denied entrance into Cuba and the United States following a 50-day odyssey, and was forced to turn back. As a result, more than 600 of its passengers died in concentration camps.

Everyday Life in Hamburg
When the war was over, Dombrowski began to work as a professional photographer, opening a small photography studio in Hamburg. Among his many commissions was a comprehensive documentation of all old-town buildings in Hamburg's Altona District on behalf of the housing association 'Neue Heimat' (1953–1956). In addition, Dombrowski continiuously captured Hamburg's citizens in their everyday lives, developing his unique reportage style.

Further information at Galerie Hilaneh von Kories