Publisher's Description
Café Lehmitz, a beer joint at the Reeperbahn, was
a meeting point for many who worked in Hamburg's
red-light district: prostitutes, pimps, transvestites,
workers, and petty criminals. Anders Petersen was
18 years old when he first visited Hamburg in 1962,
chanced upon Café Lehmitz, and established friends
that made an impact on his life. In 1968 he return ed
to Lehmitz, found new 'regulars', renewed contact,
and began to take pictures.
His photographs, which we first published in book
form in 1978, have become classics of their genre-
Tom Waits used our cover picture for his LP
Rain dogs.
Their candidness and authenticity continue to move
the viewer. The solidarity evident in them prevents
voyeurism or false pity arising vis-à-vis a milieu
generally referred to as 'asocial.' The 'other' world
of Café Lehmitz, which no longer exists in this form,
becomes visible as a lively community with its own
self-image and dignity.
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