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The Man with the Leica – Dr. Paul Wolff
The Man with the Leica – Dr. Paul Wolff
Wolff & Tritschler
January 26, 2024
Paul Wolff, Untitled, Christian Skrein Photo Collection
Dr. Paul Wolff (1887–1951) is known as one of the first proponents of the 35mm film format, which was introduced in 1925 with the groundbreaking Leica I. Developed by the Leitz company, the light-weight, portable camera would go on to change the nature of photography for generations to come.
With the exhibition L’homme au Leica, the Pavillon Populaire presents the first comprehensive retrospective of Wolff’s work in France. The showcase (open from 27 January to 14 April 2024) enables a broader audience to discover the multi-faceted – yet rarely exhibited – oeuvre of one of the most emblematic German photographers of the 1920s to 1940s.
Wolff was not an artist in the conventional sense, but rather a ‘reliable supplier’ of images: together with his business partner, Alfred Tritschler, he ran a successful photo agency, providing clients with images of every genre. Their combined efforts yielded nearly 700,000 photographs – culminating in an unparalleled documentation of German society, from the Weimar Republic to the National Socialist regime and the post-war era.
The exhibition features a diverse body of work marked by the popularisation of 35mm photography and the Leica brand – for which Wolff was a staunch advocate from 1926 onwards. More than 140 photographs, sourced from major private collections, are placed in a dialogue with publication media such as books, posters and adverts, as well as vintage Leica equipment. Within this richly layered context, viewers are able to critically investigate the role of ‘mainstream’ photography from not just a purely visual, but also a historical and sociological point of view.
Katrin UllmannWith the exhibition L’homme au Leica, the Pavillon Populaire presents the first comprehensive retrospective of Wolff’s work in France. The showcase (open from 27 January to 14 April 2024) enables a broader audience to discover the multi-faceted – yet rarely exhibited – oeuvre of one of the most emblematic German photographers of the 1920s to 1940s.
Wolff was not an artist in the conventional sense, but rather a ‘reliable supplier’ of images: together with his business partner, Alfred Tritschler, he ran a successful photo agency, providing clients with images of every genre. Their combined efforts yielded nearly 700,000 photographs – culminating in an unparalleled documentation of German society, from the Weimar Republic to the National Socialist regime and the post-war era.
The exhibition features a diverse body of work marked by the popularisation of 35mm photography and the Leica brand – for which Wolff was a staunch advocate from 1926 onwards. More than 140 photographs, sourced from major private collections, are placed in a dialogue with publication media such as books, posters and adverts, as well as vintage Leica equipment. Within this richly layered context, viewers are able to critically investigate the role of ‘mainstream’ photography from not just a purely visual, but also a historical and sociological point of view.
ALL IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: © Wolff & Tritschler
Wolff & Tritschler+-
Born on February 19, 1887, in Mulhouse, Dr. Paul Wolff studied medicine until 1913 (degree in 1914). After the First World War, he worked in film and as a photographer, meeting Oskar Barnack in 1921, and acquiring his first two Leica cameras in 1926. His standard work, Meine Erfahrungen mit der Leica (My Experience with the Leica), was published in 1934. In 1934, he also founded the company in Frankfurt on the Main with Alfred Tritschler, who had been working for him since 1927. The company headquarters were destroyed during an air raid in 1944, but the archive of 35mm pictures, which was stored elsewhere, survived. Wolff passed away on April 10, 1951.
Alfred Tritschler was born on June 12, 1905. He completed photographic training in his home town of Offenburg (Baden), then began studying photographic technology in Munich in 1924. In 1927, he applied for a position with Paul Wolff’s company in Frankfurt. Later on, he became co-owner. He continued to run the Wolff & Tritschler company, independently, after Wolff’s passing on April 10, 1951. Tritschler himself passed away on New Year’s Eve, 1970. His nephew, Robert Summer, had already taken over the firm in 1963. More
Paul Wolff, Untitled, Christian Skrein Photo Collection
Paul Wolff, Hitchhikers, 1936, Collection Christian Brandstätter
Paul Wolff, Palatinus Bath on Margaret Island, Budapest, Christian Skrein Photo Collection