Ihminen Pääosassa (People in the Lead Role)
Ismo Hölttö
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A significant work of Finnish documentary photography, Ihminen pääosassa brings together 239 photographs made during the 1960s and early 1970s. Self-published in 1989 and designed by Pertti Hietanen, the book presents photographs made when Ismo Hölttö was in his twenties. Travelling with photographer Mikko Savolainen and using a Rolleiflex camera, Hölttö photographed people in Helsinki and across Finland, from urban streets to North Karelia, Savonia and the Oulu region, creating portraits of children, elderly people, workers, Romani communities and rural families.
Hölttö’s photographs challenged idealised images of Finland, presenting a more honest and compassionate vision of a nation undergoing rapid social change and urbanisation. Beautifully reproduced in rich tritone printing, this body of work invites comparison with August Sander’s People of the Twentieth Century. Both photographers created enduring portraits of society through its people, but where Sander’s work often feels formal, composed and typological, Hölttö’s is marked by warmth, curiosity and human connection.
Self-published, 1989
First edition of 1,300 copies
Hardcover with dust jacket
Condition: Some wear to the dust jacket. Pages clean + tight
Texts by Tuomo-Juhani Vuorenmaa & Erkki Pirtola
