FAQ — Briefly Explained

The Jewish Mittelmann family lived in Leipzig from 1904 to 1938. The family ran a photography studio at Peterssteinweg 15. The photographer Abram Mittelmann, his wife, their three children, and some relatives lived and worked in that house. Under the Nazi regime, they were stripped of their rights, persecuted, and murdered—or managed to survive.

In 1988, more than 2,000 glass plate negatives were discovered in the attic of the Mittelmann family’s former photography studio at Peterssteinweg 15 in Leipzig. They were taken between 1909 and 1938. This photo archive was transferred from a private collection to Nadia Vergne, the granddaughter of Abram Mittelmann, in 2022.

The photographs show people who had their pictures taken in a studio in the early 20th century. Most of the images are portraits of women, men, and children—the family itself, or even members of the SA. Many of the people in the photos remain unknown to this day. The online photo archive allows users to search for both known and unknown faces. Information about the people depicted helps to learn more about their biographies and supports research.

The “Mittelmann Photo Archive” project at the Leipzig Museum of City History Leipzig combines research and educational outreach. It focuses on the history of the Mittelmann family, the photo archive, and the people portrayed in the photographs. These biographies are featured in an exhibition, presented at events, and made publicly available in the online photo archive.

The exhibition “Snapshot: The Mittelmann Photo Archive” will present the results of the research and a selection of photographs for the first time from June 3, 2026, to April 4, 2027, at the Leipzig Museum of City History Leipzig. The exhibition is bilingual (German and English) and can also be presented as a traveling exhibition at other institutions and in other cities. All photographs are also available in the online photo archive and can be searched.