The Pastry Cook

It was included in his photography book Face of Our Time, published in 1929, and was part of his People of the 20th Century project.

He is largely bald, wears a moustache and looks directly at the viewer, with an apparent sense of confidence and pride in his profession.

"[2] Art historian H. W. Janson, in his History of Art: The Western Tradition, singles out this photograph and compares it with the work of painter George Grosz from the same era: "Clearly proud of his position, the man in Pastry Cook, Cologne (...) is the very opposite of the timid figure in George Grosz's Germany, a Winter's Tale (...).

While the photograph passes no individual judgement, in the context of the book [of Sander] the chef's lack of concern stands as a strong indictement of the era as a whole.

"[4] Joann Lacey stated that with photographs like The Pastry Cook, "Sander transforms the practice of portraiture with these arresting, sensational images.