Two simultaneous exhibitions at London’s The Photographers’ Gallery and Jewish Museum celebrate the versatile and deeply affecting oeuvre of Roman Vishniac (1896-1990). The practitioner is known for keeping a distinct photographic record of interwar Jewish life in Eastern Europe, and the comprehensive show highlights these iconic pieces alongside other, radically diverse collections.

Vishniac’s early works capture Berlin’s burgeoning cultural landscape through a dramatic use of light and shadow, whilst later series take an poignant social documentary approach to recording the daily lives of the Jewish community. The deeply human images supported increasingly urgent relief efforts whilst capturing a changing city, offering insight into unsettling realities.

Roman Vishniac Rediscovered opens 26 October. Find out more here.

Credits:
1.  Interior of the Anhalter Bahnhof railway terminus near Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, 1929–early 1930s. © Mara Vishniac Kohn Courtesy International Center of Photography.
2. Window washer balancing on a ladder, Berlin, mid-1930s. © Mara Vishniac Kohn Courtesy International Center of Photography.