Die «Samnauner Zwerge» an der Schnittstelle Medizin und Alltag
Re-evaluation through Reconsideration
A small black, white and copper hardcover proposes a reconsideration of a piece of historical Swiss exotica. It reconstructs the case of eight women and men of small stature who became known as the ‘Samnaun dwarves'. They lived in the Swiss Alpine valley of Samnaun from the end of the nineteenth to the middle of the twentieth century and became popular postcard subjects. The first, very small picture in the middle of the white page to the right of the copper-printed endpaper establishes the theme. Introductory texts are followed by further photographic portraits, often showing the small people in pairs and groups. They are printed in black and copper, mostly in pairs freely arranged on a double page; sometimes the page backgrounds are also copper-coloured. The main text that follows, simply but carefully arranged in a single column and complemented by a small number of black-and-white images and diagrams, includes a variety of information such as new explanations for their restricted growth based on molecular genetics. The book thus transcends postcard exoticism, while the respectful design presents the eight small people in a new light.
