Narrative Photography in Munich: "Warenhaus Hermann Tietz" – a public art project

An Outdoor Exhibition comes to Schützenstraße in May 2025

In the early decades of the 20^th century, Schützenstraße, which runs between the railway station forecourt and Karlsplatz (Stachus), was a boulevard where travelers, avid shoppers and curious onlookers would promenade at leisure. It was the gateway to today’s pedestrian zone, and the place to see and be seen. So, it is hardly surprising that a flourishing photographers’ quarter emerged here, with photographers setting up shop cheek by jowl and offering their services to visitors and locals alike.

A unique space amongst the many studios vying for customers and footfall was the "Hermann Tietz Photographic Department" which offered its services between 1905 and, presumably, 1922, at the Hermann Tietz department store (also known at various times as Hertie, Karstadt, and most recently Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof). Photographs were just one of the many customized items that it offered for sale to consumers of all ages. The photographic service complemented its other departments (including food and drink, clothing and small items of furniture) and the branded photographic studios at the other Tietz stores in Berlin, Hamburg or Stuttgart. The story of this particular Munich photographic department is the focus of an outdoor exhibition mounted on a construction site fence that extends over more than 160 meters, around the perimeter of the former Schützenstraße store that was home to the studio. The exhibition charts a unique chapter in the history of photography in Munich, a chapter in which some of the city’s residents participated in person. Some passersby, as they walk down the street, may even recognize photos of relatives or friends from their parents’ or grandparents’ generations.

The exhibition is part of the Münchner Fotogeschichten project, which, from time to time, casts a spotlight on stories from the history of photography in Munich. Münchner Fotogeschichten is a project implemented by the Photography Collection of the Münchner Stadtmuseum.