Günter's Studio and Portraiture
In 1891, four years after starting work as a re-toucher for Stuber, Günter appears in the Louisville City Directory as the successor to Stuber, relocating to 434 East Market Street, where he would stay for the next decade. It was very common for studio premises and supplies to be passed from one photographer to another as one went out of business and another stepped in to try their luck.
This shift from working as a re-toucher to a studio photographer and owner would have been a major transition for Günter. Photographers would often have to be multi-taskers: receptionist, re-toucher, printer, mounter, supply purchaser, and studio marketer all rolled into one. Günter not only became the artistic eye of the studio—posing the sitter, setting the scene, selecting the best backdrops and accompanying props—but he also became an entrepreneur. This included working with various wholesalers to order the variety of supplies needed for printing. He would have also had to manage branding and marketing for his studio to gain new clientele and stay up-to-date on photographic trends of the time. Many photographers realized that photography was becoming not only a profession, but also a form of art during this era.
In 1901, Günter relocated to 309 4th Street, where he remained until he closed his studio.
By examining Günter’s studio portraiture, we can trace the evolution of one man’s photographic style: from simplistic portraiture to more posed and elaborate images, from views of friends and family to experimentation with photography as a true art form.
