The Yenidze Cigarette Factory of 1909 was constructed as an industrial, architectural object that advertised Dresden as a center for the tobacco trade. Born from a unique client-architect relationship between Hugo Zietz and Martin Hammitzsch, the factory's importance to modernism has been understated. Smoke and Mirrors uncovers the history of the factory's planning, design, and construction, and for the first time, apart from the building's historical narrative, positions this addition to Dresden's skyline within the formative histories of the modern movement.

David Nielsen is an Associate Professor at the Queensland University of Technology, where he teaches and researches architecture. His research investigates the formative histories of architectural Modernism and how this intersects with broader issues like industrialization. His books include Bruno Taut's Design Inspiration for the Glashaus (Routledge, 2016) and History of the Mauser Rifle in Chile: Mauser Chileno Modelo 1895, 1912, and 1935 (Schiffer Military History, 2019).