Alwina Gossauer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alwina Gossauer
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Self-portrait around 1900
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| Born | 1841 Rapperswil
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| Died | 1 January 1926 (aged 85) |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Known for | professional photographer since 1865 |
Alwina Gossauer (1841–1926) was a pioneering Swiss photographer and a successful businesswoman. She was born and grew up in Rapperswil. Later, she returned to Rapperswil and became one of the very first professional female photographers in Switzerland.
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Contents
Early Life and Photography
Alwina Gossauer was born in Rapperswil. Her parents ran a business there. She spent her childhood in Rapperswil. At 18, Alwina married Johann Kölla. He worked as a saddler.
They lived in Zürich. In 1864, her husband learned how to take photographs. They set up one of Zürich's first photo studios. It was in the attic of their house.
Soon after, the family moved to Rapperswil. Kölla bought an inn near the Rapperswil railway station. He also set up another photo studio there. Alwina learned photography by working in the studio. She started taking photos in 1865.
In 1868, her husband got into trouble with the law. He was caught making fake bank notes. He was sent to prison for 18 months. He was also banned from the Canton of St. Gallen for 10 years. Alwina managed to save some household items. She also saved the valuable photography equipment from his business problems.
A New Start as a Photographer
In June 1868, Alwina placed a newspaper ad. It said she would continue the photography business. She used the name Alwina Kölla-Gossauer. She rented a house called Kunstgüetli on Seequai. This spot was near the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG) boat pier. She likely chose it to attract tourists.
She opened her own photo studio there. It was called "Photographie A. Gossauer." She used her maiden name, Gossauer. The family lived on the first floor. Customers were served on the ground floor. From then on, Alwina ran the business herself. She was a successful freelance photographer and businesswoman.
At first, she used her husband's name, Kölla. Later, she used her maiden name, Gossauer. She took classic portrait photos. She also did landscape photography. She got jobs to take photos for books, newspapers, and magazines.
After prison, her husband tried photography again. He set up a studio across the Seedamm. This was in the Canton of Zürich. This way, he followed the ban from St. Gallen. Alwina lent him photographic equipment. But their relationship became very difficult.
In 1871, Alwina Gossauer decided to get a divorce. Her husband did not want it. But the court agreed with her. She got custody of their five children. They were between one and eleven years old. Alwina went back to her maiden name, Gossauer. She added "divorced Koella" as was common then.
Kölla did not pay the money he was supposed to. He sold his studio and the equipment Alwina lent him. Alwina tried to sue him, but it didn't work. Kölla "disappeared," as court records say. He eventually moved to America around 1868.
Later Years and Success
In the 1870s, the divorce was expensive. It also meant Alwina lost some independence. A legal guardian was assigned to her. This was normal for women at that time. Every business deal she made needed the guardian's approval.
However, her guardian's reports praised her business skills. They noted her hard work. She was able to earn money and support herself. She did not need any financial help. Around the 1890s, Gossauer used a folding camera. This camera type was called Engel-Feitknecht. She used it for news reports and landscape photos. This camera was designed in Switzerland. About 6,000 of them were made between 1878 and 1894.
In 1892, Gossauer achieved a big dream. Thanks to her successful work, she bought land. It was on Obere Bahnhofstrasse. She built a three-story building there. It had shops and homes. On the top floor, she built a modern photo studio. It had a glass roof. A large sign proudly showed her business name: "Photographie A. Gossauer."
Family and Legacy
Alwina Gossauer's son, Jean Kölla, learned photography from his mother. Her daughter, also named Alwina (1862–1946), never married. She ran the business under her mother's name until the 1920s. Her son Albert did not become a photographer. But he later worked with his brother Jean.
The youngest daughter, Caroline, married a photographer named Karl Stalder. In 1920, they took over Alwina's business in Rapperswil. They ran it as K. Stalder-Kölla until the 1940s. "Alwina Gossauer was a fighter," the pastor said at her funeral in 1926.
Exhibitions
- 2015 Stadtmuseum Rapperswil-Jona: Der Zeit voraus – Drei Frauen auf eigenen Wegen: Marianne Ehrmann-Brentano Schriftstellerin und Journalistin (1755–1795); Alwina Gossauer Fotografin und Geschäftsfrau (1841–1926); Martha Burkhardt Globetrotterin und Malerin (1874–1956).
