1955 – On The Road

Werner Martin traveled and photographed the USA from June to November 1955. He used two cameras: a Rolleiflex for medium format and a Contax for small picture. The photographs presented in the exhibition were taken on Agfacolor negative material.

How did the journey come about? Martin has always been deeply connected to the USA. His paternal grandfather, Michael Martin (born 1818), emigrated to America in 1841. His mother's cousin, Hilda Ries (born 1892), came to New York in 1920. There she married the German-born American Wilhelm Wagner, who worked in the New York Plaza Hotel. His son Bill was born in New York in 1924 - Werner Martin in 1923 in Wertheim am Main. The two cousins ​​were about the same age and so a contact was made across the ocean. Thanks to his family connection, New York was the first stop for Martin in America.

New York has produced a large number of photographs. The most successful was Martin with the inclusion of the UN building, which was completed in 1951 in New York. Martin sold all the original negatives - except for the negative, whose reproduction is shown in this exhibition. In some illustrated books about America and magazines from the 50s, the photographs of the UN building by Werner Martin can be seen.

The trip through the USA led Martin u. a. to Buffalo (Niagara Falls), Atlantic City, Pittsburgh, Washington, Columbus (Ohio), Chicago, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Denver, Taos, Santa Fe, Flagstaff, Salt Lake City, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Mount Hood, Seattle, Sacramento, Reno ...