Hermann Claasen

Hermann Claasen was a self-educated German photographer. His first photographs were taken before the First World War. For this purpose he used a camera built from a cigar box and a spectacle lens. In the 1930s, he worked as a portrait and advertising photographer. In 1942 he married the Cologne based photographer Ria Dietz.

After the Second World War Claasen was known for his photographs of the destroyed Cologne. Claasen was heavily influenced by the picturesque German photography before the First World War. As a freelance photographer, he worked for many clients. In addition to his documentary photography of the post war Rhineland, Claasen was also worked in a modern style and participated in many exhibitions. The variety and quality of his photographs make him range amongst the most interesting German photographers of the 20th century.