Exhibition Showcases Early Photography Pioneers in Allgäu Region at Kaufbeuren City Museum

The City Museum in Kaufbeuren is presenting an exhibition titled 'Allgäuer Fotopioniere. Auguste Städele und die Heimhuber-Brüder' until mid-April 2026, focusing on the early history of photography in the region. Organized in collaboration with the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art, and the city of Kaufbeuren, the display features vintage prints and enlarged medium-format works from around 1900. The exhibition begins with an overview of photography's origins, referencing Joseph Nicéphore Niépce's heliography and the first surviving photograph from 1826. It explores how the new medium captured both local life—including landscapes, residents, associations, and events—and broader technological advancements like automobiles and gramophones. The presentation highlights early photographers in Kaufbeuren, such as wanderers advertising services in the 1840s and local practitioners like Willibald Filser and Camill Baumgärtner, who often held multiple professions. Notable figures include Auguste Städele (1879–1966), a farmer's daughter who photographed her rural surroundings for nearly four decades, and the Heimhuber brothers, Fritz and Eugen, from Sonthofen, whose father Joseph was appointed 'Königlich Bayerischer Hofphotograph' in 1899. Their archive contains approximately 300,000 images from 1872 to 1950, with themes ranging from alpine landscapes and winter sports to tourism and post-World War I progress, such as electrification in Kaufbeuren. The exhibition also features Carl Goldmann (1882–1976), who documented the region for over 70 years, including events like a 1928 air show. Portraiture from the late 19th to early 20th centuries is examined, noting its conventional nature and occasional exceptions, such as a couple photographed in East Asian attire. The show underscores photography's role in both documenting and staging reality, influenced by technical limitations and social conventions of the time. Previously displayed in Regensburg and Lindenberg, this iteration adds regional pioneers, offering historical insights that extend beyond local contexts. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission on Saturdays, and is supported by the Kurt und Felicitas Viermetz Stiftung.