Brandt often used additive techniques to enhance his photographs. In this print of a barmaid, taken for the Picture Post photo-story “A Barmaid’s Day” (1939), Brandt used black wash to add depth and uniformity to the shadowy background. He applied the passages so thickly that brushstrokes can be seen by the naked eye upon close inspection, while particles of pigment are visible as sandy texture under magnification. Brandt also used graphite to outline the eyebrows and facial features of the title subject.

Gallery label from

Bill Brandt: Shadow and Light, March 6–August 12, 2013.

Medium Gelatin silver print
Dimensions 8 1/8 × 6 7/8" (20.6 × 17.4 cm)
Credit Gift of Edwynn Houk
Object number 617.2006
Department Photography

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Bill Brandt

Bill Brandt

British, born Germany. 1904–1983 104 works online

An English photographer of German birth, Bill Brandt traveled to Vienna in 1927 to see a lung specialist and then decided to stay and find work in a photography studio.

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