In 1929, Brandt spent three months in Paris working as an apprentice in the photographic studio of Man Ray. In the years that followed, he was heavily influenced by photographers whose portrayal of the urban landscapes conveyed a sense of alienation or mystery. Returning to England in 1931, Brandt continued to turn his lens on the environment, capturing high contrast, dark scenes in London and other towns with a mysterious edge. “I believe this power of seeing the world as fresh and strange lies hidden in every human being,” he wrote in 1948.

Gallery label from

517: A Surreal Lens, 2025

Medium Gelatin silver print
Dimensions 9 × 7 11/16" (22.9 × 19.6 cm)
Credit Carl Jacobs Fund
Object number 214.2007
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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