Auschwitz ‘Portraitist’ Dies at 95

By JTA October 23, 2012

Wilhelm Brasse, known as the “Portraitist of Auschwitz,” has died.

Brasse died Tuesday in Zywiec, Poland. He was 95.

At the Auschwitz death camp, he took pictures of prisoners and photos for the experiments of Josef Mengele and Eduard Wirths. He had been sent to Auschwitz for refusing to register with the Volksliste, which classified the desirability of people living in Nazi-occupied territories. He was arrested by the Germans while trying to escape to Hungary.

Prior to World War II, Brasse worked as a photographer in Katowice specializing in portraits.

A film about him, “Portraitist,” was made in 2005.

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