Rudolf Zimmermann

Rudolf Zimmermann (1878–1943), a publicist, naturalist, ornithologist, and early conservationist, made a name for himself primarily as a pioneer of wildlife photography. Long before an environmental movement emerged to combat the exploitation of nature, this self-taught individual tirelessly and selflessly raised awareness for the protection and preservation of habitats through his camera and a multitude of essays. In addition to the wildlife photographs that brought him fame in the 1920s, he also created travel photographs in Transylvania and the Carpathians, as well as images from his service in World War I in Serbia, France, and the Bialowieza Forest. Zimmermann initially photographed to provide impressive animal portraits for his own publications on local fauna. He often approached his subjects in unorthodox ways, with considerable physical effort, primarily finding them in the area around Rochlitz and later in the pond regions of Upper Lusatia, the Lewitz in Mecklenburg, and at Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland. He began by capturing animals that had previously received little attention: amphibians, birds, and small mammals. From the 1920s onward, he focused on the birdlife hidden in the reeds. His photographs were featured in important publications on (animal) photography and significant photo exhibitions of the Weimar Republic, alongside the works of the most renowned photographers of his time. This book brings together Rudolf Zimmermann's work for the first time in a monograph.