Auschwitz was the only concentration camp/death camp that took individual photos of the people interned there. This process primarily occured in the beginning and was later replaced by the tattooing system. The reason was mainly to identify a prisoner in the case they escaped. The photo was taken after the selection, after a prisoner was showered, had their head shaved, and had a uniform. The prisoner stood for three photos: one facing forward, one at an angle, and one wearing a head covering or cap. In front was a number that was assigned to the prisoner. Prisoners also had a distinct triangle on their uniform which showed which prisoner category they were classified in. Also, in the event a prisoner escaped, the prisoner could be identified and brought back using the photo.

However, due to the terrible treatment of prisoners, the photos did not have long term use. Prisoners were subject to horrible conditions, including starvation and the risk of a beating. A malnurished prisoner after two months in Auschwitz was going to look far different from when they arrived at the camp. Also, hair did slowly grow back causing a change in appearance. But the biggest change was due to the prisoner getting weaker. Their physical appearance was going to change.

The majority of prisoners having their photo taken during the registration process occured mostly before mid-1943. After that, tattooing of prisoners was used. Only prisoners who survived the selection and were chosen for work were registered. Those who were selected for death right away were not registered. Photographing was replaced with tattooing also because processing the photos and using the materials took a lot of time. Tattooing was more efficient as thousands of more prisoners were arriving in Auschwitz. Overall, about 40,000 to 50,000 photos of prisoners were taken. The division of the camp where the photos were taken and stored was called the Erkenundienst.

Wilhelm Brasse was one of several camp photographers assigned by the Nazis. Alfred Wyocicki, Tadeusz Myszkowski, Jozèf Pysz, and Eugeniusz Dembek, were a few of the other photographers alongside Brasse. The vast majority of photos survived the war because Brasse and the other photographers disobeyed orders to destroy the photos in January 1945 when the Soviets were closing in on the camp.

Until the failed invasion of Moscow, the Nazis were at the peak of their power. They were winning battles against the allies and gaining more land. The thought of losing the war did not exist until the Soviets were pushing from the east and the allied invasions in the West. Even so, the destruction of the photos was not ordered until the last minute. When the Soviets were close, the Nazis only then ordered the destruction of photos and the evidence of the camps. Brasse and the other photographers tried to save the photos. They put wet paper in the furnaces which prevented smoke from escaping and the lack of oxygen would stop the fire. They also scattered the photos because the evacuation was rushed and they knew the Nazis would not stop to get all the photos. About 39,000 photos survived because of their actions.

The main reason for doing this: record keeping. In January 1942 was the Wannsee Conference. It consisted of fifteen high ranking Nazi officials who discussed the "Final Solution". The "Final Solution" was the plan on how the Nazis were going to kill all the Jews in Europe. There was an estimated 11 million Jews in Europe and that number included neutral countries as well. The Nazis kept the records to keep track of how many Jews were deported, how many were selected to work, how many were sent to gas chambers. This is also why there were two roll calls in many concentration camps and death camps. Prisoners were counted so the Nazis could keep track of the numbers.

Sources:

Auschwitz Memorial Website: Prisoner photos

Faces of Auschwitz: Registration Photos and Marking System

Spoils of War: The Fate of European Records During WWII by Linda Barnickel