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.

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.

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.

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)