The Project #LastSeen.

Pictures of Nazi deportations

#LastSeen: Pictures of Nazi deportations is an international collaborative research project in which renowned institutions from the field of Holocaust research and education have joined forces to systematically compile, analyze, and digitally publish photographic images of Nazi deportations of Jews, Sinti and Roma, as well as victims of Nazi "euthanasia" programs.
Starting Point and Research

The first and so far only comprehensive collection of deportation photographs was created in the important book Vor alles Augen. Fotodokumente des nationalsozialistischen Terrors in der Provinz (2001) by Klaus Hesse and Philipp Springer [engl. In Plain Sight. Photographic Documents of Nazi Terror in the Provinces]. This research, combined with the findings presented by Frank Reuter in Im Bann des Fremden. Die fotografische Konstruktion des “Zigeuners” (2014) [engl. Under the Spell of the Foreign: The Photographic Construction of the Gypsy], served as the starting point for our research. When the #LastSeen project began, we were aware that photographs of deportations had survived from at least 31 locations. In 27 of these locations, they depict people persecuted as Jews, while in four locations, the images were taken within the context of the Porajmos.

 

At the start first funding phase of the project, we contacted over 1,500 archives in Germany. From their responses, we were able to discover new photographs as well as gain numerous additional insights. Simultaneously, we conducted a systematic review of both academic and so-called grey literature. Often, we found relevant information in local history publications. We also searched digital repositories, such as the photo databases of Yad Vashem and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Important clues also came from academic colleagues, local remembrance initiatives, and the interested public. We continue to receive information about additional images, as the publication of the Images Atlas has sharpened the focus on the deportation events and led to new discoveries. We found images that were previously, for example, misidentified or were held in uncatalogued collections of individual archives.

Cataloguing and Publication

Photographs require context to be utilized as historical sources. Therefore, all images published in the project are thoroughly analyzed by our research team. Information about the production, preservation and transmission of the photographs is gathered, and the content of the images is analyzed in connection with historical knowledge about the events. Each photo is viewed holistically as a document, which is why reverse sides and context pages (e.g., from photo albums) are also included in the analysis and presented in the Image Atlas, if available. If it is possible to identify individuals, they are featured in the Image Atlas with biographies and, ideally, personalized sources.

 

The detailed cataloguing of the image content is the foundation of our filtering system, which allows the photographs to be sorted and searched. Spatial localization of images is central to the image atlas: all photos are georeferenced and can be viewed precisely in their corresponding locations on the map. In this way, the Image Atlas serves as both a digital edition and an interactive exhibition, making it suitable for educational as well as research purposes.

Education and Learning

In collaboration with the digital agency &why and with the involvement of high school students, we developed a digital educational resource on the topic of deportations from the German Reich during the first phase of the #LastSeen project. This tool is a browser-based educational game—a Serious Game—where users independently reconstruct and acquire knowledge about historical events through a series of deportation photographs. A key focus is on enhancing students' skills in analyzing and interpreting photographs. Currently, there are two versions of the game, with further improvements and developments planned.

Educational game from #LastSeen
Webinars, lectures and workshops

During the first phase of the project, we established a regular format for knowledge transfer and exchange with the academic community and the interested public through a webinar series. With the start of the Winter Semester 2023/2024, the series has been further systematized and is now designed as a digital workshop and lecture series, with each semester focusing on a different project-related theme. This format combines brief expert presentations with open discussions. Participation is free and open to all interested parties. The series in fall and winter 2024/2025 takes place in German only.

Outlook and Contact

Digital projects are always a work in progress, and #LastSeen is no exception. In the current funding phase, the Image Atlas is being consolidated, with the known series from the German Reich's 1937 borders being gradually cataloged and digitally published. We are also beginning initial geographical expansions: images from Austria and the so-called Sudetenland are set to be included in the collection. The current thematic expansion focuses on photographs of transports related to Nazi euthanasia programs. Meanwhile, our educational ressources are being further developed, and a traveling exhibition is planned. You can stay informed about the projects progress through our newsletter. If you have any questions about the project, wish to bring images to our attention, or provide feedback, please feel free to contact us via email at lastseen@zedat.fu-berlin.de.

Video Recording of the Launch Event, March 2023

The cover picture shows the photo of a deportation of 20 Jews from Brandenburg an der Havel on April 13, 1942 (Image: Stadtarchiv Brandenburg an der Havel)

Co-operation network #LastSeen.
Pictures of Nazi deportations


Dr. Alina Bothe
Project lead

c/o Selma Stern Zentrum für Jüdische Studien Berlin-Brandenburg
Freie Universität Berlin
Habelschwerdter Allee 34A
14195 Berlin

lastseen@zedat.fu-berlin.de

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