Henry Leutwyler: International Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum

A moving photographic inventory of objects from the Red Cross’ museum

This book is Henry Leutwyler’s (born 1961) meticulous photographic record of the treasures of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva. In his trademark style, Leutwyler does not merely document objects but creates portraits of them, conjuring their past lives and imbuing the inanimate with character. Leutwyler sifted through the nearly 30,000 objects in the museum, shaping a selection that conveys the vital functions of the Red Cross: to provide humanitarian protection and emergency aid, particularly for the poor and underprivileged. Leutwyler shows us objects famously symbolic of the Red Cross (first-aid kits, uniforms, armbands), confronting various finds (amputation saws, a cannonball) as well as the unexpectedly beautiful: delicate beaded flowers made by a prisoner of war. His focus is on the details of objects, their imperfections, decay and often the damage they have endured: evocative of the people who put them to real humanitarian use.