In America: Picture Book of an Architect (German: Amerika: Bilderbuch eines Architekten), Erich Mendelsohn presents a curated visual exploration of American urban and industrial landscapes during his 1924 visit to the United States. An influential figure in modernist architecture, Mendelsohn acted as the editor and a primary photographer for this collaborative project. He acknowledged the significant contributions of Knud Lonberg-Holm, a Danish architect who provided 16 images; Erich Karweik, Mendelsohn's chief draftsman, responsible for 22 images; and Fritz Lang, the renowned film director and Mendelsohn's traveling partner, who captured one image.
Mendelsohn’s journey focused on urban centers such as New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Buffalo, documenting skyscrapers, industrial facilities, and street scenes. These cities, emblematic of American modernity, presented a stark contrast to Europe’s historically layered urban fabric. The photographs, many taken by Mendelsohn but also by his collaborators, reflect a fascination with verticality and scale—the towering facades of Manhattan, the grain elevators of Chicago, and Detroit’s steel frameworks—highlighting the tension between unbridled ambition and chaotic growth.
Thematically, America is both a celebration and critique of the American landscape. Mendelsohn juxtaposes the energy and optimism of industrial progress with the chaotic and dehumanizing aspects of unregulated urbanization. His cryptic captions, often poetic and rhythmic, enhance the interpretive depth of the images, revealing his ambivalence toward America’s rapid industrialization and its implications for culture and humanity. He critiques the lack of cohesive urban planning and warns against the societal risks of prioritizing technological and economic power over cultural depth.
While America is celebrated for its incisive visual narrative, it also marked a turning point in architectural discourse. By curating and editing a collective visual critique, Mendelsohn expanded photography’s role beyond documentation to a tool of analysis and persuasion, influencing European perceptions of American modernity and contributing to the dialogue on modernist architecture.
