John Elder & Armin T. Wegner photographers

[John Kasaian]

I came across these ca WW1 photographers while researching another subject and thought they were very poignant. I have no idea what cameras were used--Elder might have used a KVP while Wegner probably would have used a german make. Wegner's two portraits of refugees struck me as incredible!

http://www.armenian-genocide.org/photointro.html

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[John Kasaian]

My mistake! The portraits I was referring to are in John Elder's portfolio, the photos entitled Refugee in the far right and far left column.

[jnantz]

hi john

thanks for posting this link.

i saw these photographs 20 years ago,
when i was doing coursework on the genocide.
my day was filled with corpses and tales of death.
first the civil war photography of matthew brady,
then the photographs you linked to, as well as more
graphic images of the death marches through the syrian desert,
hangings, and general torture ( as well as personal interviews of some of children ...
the only survivors the death marches) ... and after all that
i saw a guest lecturer in my photography class with jeffrey silverthorne and
his portraits of people who died of unknown causes.

i didn't make it through the silverthorne lecture ...

thanks again
john

[John Kasaian]

Yeah, the woman's eyes in the Elder portfolio refugee portrait are piercing! And the fact that Wegner's photos were taken under clandestine crcumstances are mind blowing.

[jnantz]

Yeah, the woman's eyes in the Elder portfolio refugee portrait are piercing! And the fact that Wegner's photos were taken under clandestine crcumstances are mind blowing.

i can only imagine what would have become of him if he was caught.
probably treated as an "enemy of the state" ... and hanged.



john