Polar Bears

Figures in polar bear costumes on the beach, at pubs, and fairs, arm in arm with toddlers, men, women: what kind of strange pictures are these?

The collector Jochen Raiß, whose flea market finds of women in trees have already stirred the enthusiasm of photography fans, again opens up his treasure trove for a new and mysterious series of people posing with polar bears. The shaggy white animal appears in the oddest places, serving both willingly and naturally as a photographic motif. Where did this evident trend originate, and why has the polar bear, of all creatures, become so popular? And why were Germans up to the mid-twentieth century in particular so crazy about polar bears? This funny little book collects the best pictures from Raiß's collection-and certainly leaves some questions unanswered.

For three decades Hamburg-based Jochen Raiß has been poking around flea markets and second-hand stores, collecting historic amateur photographs, which he presents on his website imperfekt.photography.