More than almost any other war, World War I brought about an enormous increase in the tempo of technological development. Photography was one of the technologies affected in multiple ways by this leap in modernisation, playing an integral and multifaceted part in the conduct of the war. The exhibition presents a comprehensive overview of the uses to which photography was put (weaponry, documentation, reconnaissance, press photography, propaganda, journalism, to name but a few), using exhibits from the Museum's own collection, as well as items on loan from the numerous collections of World War I material which exist in Germany and abroad. 

The archives hold voluminous files of photographs, taken by official war photographers and amateurs alike, ranging from panoramas and aerial photographs to picture postcards and illustrated war diaries. For the first time, an edited selection has been made around specific topics, for presentation to the wider public. The aim is not to tell the story of the war through photographs, but to tell the story of photography during the war.

The emphasis in the exhibition is therefore chiefly on original prints, on photographs from posters, books, newspapers, albums, etc. The Museum für Fotografie, housed in what was once the Territorial Army officers’ mess, is a particularly appropriate setting for this exhibition; during World War I the building was converted into a reserve military hospital. The exhibition includes photographs, on show for the first time, of operations taking place in the building and the Kaisersaal transformed into a hospital ward.