#27 CAMERA Book Review: Harry Borden - Survivor

A look through the beautiful book Survivor by portrait photographer Harry Borden. The book is a portrait of the survivors of the Holocaust.

Harry Borden's Survivor: A Portrait of the Survivors of the Holocaust was published by Cassell Illustrated in 2017 following a five year project in which he travelled throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, Israel and North America photographing men and women who had survived the Holocaust. Best known for his portrait photography, Borden combined formal environmental portraits with handwritten reflections from each participant, allowing every sitter to contribute directly to the book in their own words. The volume also includes short biographical accounts explaining each individual's experience during the Holocaust, together with historical context, and features a foreword by novelist Howard Jacobson.

Rather than concentrating on the atrocities themselves, Survivor focuses on the lives of those who endured persecution and rebuilt their lives after the Second World War. Borden photographed each survivor with a restrained and consistent visual approach, often using available light and domestic settings to emphasise the individuality of each subject rather than presenting them as representatives of a collective history. The combination of portraiture, personal testimony and historical background creates a documentary record that preserves first hand accounts at a time when the generation of Holocaust survivors is rapidly diminishing. The project has since been recognised as an important contribution to photographic portraiture and Holocaust remembrance, with works from the series entering the collections of the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Australian War Memorial.

Harry Borden

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