Photography was invented back in the early 19th century, but the medium didn’t take off with the general public until 100 years later, in the 1920s and 30s. In Germany, those decades were marked by poverty, social upheaval, and profound change—inflation ran rampant; Nazis infiltrated Munich’s beer halls. The turmoil was captured on camera, directly and sometimes indirectly, through innovative perspective and contrast. Unlike the avant-garde visual arts of the time, photography was seldom restricted. This exhibition presents 100 photographs from the Städel’s own collection, along with works by Alfred Ehrhardt, Hans Finsler, and Lotte Jacobi, on loan. —E.C.