Püscher collection
The Püscher collection is the estate of the photographers Richard and Eberhard Püscher (father and son), who took care of public and private life in the small town of Alfeld (Leine) in Lower Saxony.from 1947 to 1994. Alfeld's biographies were photographed, as they were photographed from the baptism to the funeral service. In between they made u. a. Confirmation and communion photos, were responsible for the class and school photos, took wedding photos, documented the dance prom, were welcome guests at celebrations such as birthdays, company anniversaries, conferences, were the first photographer on the spot when it came to portraits such as passport photos and documented events such as the rifle festival, the day of the displaced persons, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas celebrations. When Eberhard Püscher died in 1994, he left an estimated 80,000 negatives and innumerable positives, thus the comprehensive memory of a city.
Biographical
Vita
The Püschers originally came from Glogau in Silesia . Richard Theodor Julius Püscher (* July 7, 1885 - November 27, 1960) and Dora Püscher (* February 18, 1895 - March 15, 1968) already ran a photo studio in the Hotel Hindenburg. After the war they were stranded as expellees in Alfeld, where they had been running a photographic trade in the living space assigned to them since 1947, which they registered with the Hildesheim Chamber of Crafts on June 6, 1948. After his father's death, his son Eberhard (* August 2, 1922 - July 16, 1994) took over the business, which he re-registered with the Chamber on July 5, 1962. He passed his master craftsman examination on December 19, 1960 with distinction.
About the work of the Püschers
The Püscher family lived all their lives in the living space assigned to them after the war, a 40 m² roof shed. Her photo laboratory, studio, archive and sales room were also located there. Eberhard Püscher kept a steadily fluctuating number of cats in the 40 m² mentioned. Year after year, the number of photographic positives and negatives to be stored grew, so that the archive was gradually expanded to include the parked car in the garage. There, next to his Opel - which was never sold for reasons of economy, but was renewed part by part and therefore always had different color combinations - there was also a Zündapp motorcycle that Eberhard Püscher rode across the country, the plate camera under one arm, the other hand on the handlebars. Eberhard (called Bubi ) Püscher wore similar apparel every day, consisting of a worn green coat, short trousers and a crooked beret.
Besides photography, the Püscher family did not indulge in any private pleasure. This had both financial reasons - even back then there was not much money to be made with everyday or applied photography - as well as personal reasons. First of all, the lack of time, because film development, making prints and subsequent retouching all took up a lot of time. There was also little time or space for a family.
The Püschers are burned into the collective memory of the Alfelder as photographically perfect craftsmen (see following chapter) who, especially in the person of Eberhard Püscher, used the cliché of the artist or clochard . Her somewhat non-conformist and also latently confusing life plan also contributed to this.
Saving the estate
After the death of Eberhard Püscher in 1994, the personal estate was dissolved due to a lack of interested relatives. There was public interest in some artifacts, such as photographic equipment, that were being sold by an auctioneer. In addition, participation was rather low. His photographic legacy was saved from the end at the very last second.
Photographic
Technical aspects
The estate includes an estimated 80,000 negatives, ranging from commercially available 35mm film to 6x6 negative to 20x30 glass plate. The negatives show a consistently high quality of processing.
The Püschers - father and son alike - preferred to work with a bellows camera and exposed mostly 13 × 18 cm negatives, on larger occasions also in the 20 × 30 cm format. When they weren't out and about as a portrait or group photographer, they mostly used a Rolleiflex , and later a Leica camera.
The photographer and the memory
Due to the fact that the Püschers were actually always there in the course of their photographic activity, they came at some point without being asked, they created a huge bundle of impressions, memories, references and contemporary documents, corresponding to the aforementioned memory of a city and its surroundings.
At this point, photographs fully demonstrate their ability to carry memories and enable a constant reference to the past, traditions and particularities. They thus contribute as an essential component to the constitution of identity.
Interestingly, this not only works with the Alfelders, who have a personal connection to those shown, but also those who are not involved can find their biography in it.
literature
- A city on photo paper . Annett Gröschner and Simon Schwinge (eds.). Frühwerk Verlag: Berlin, 2013
- The Adenstedt strategists. Simon swing arm. In: Rundbrief Fotografie, Issue 77
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annett Gröschner and Simon Schwinge (eds.): A city on photo paper . Frühwerk Verlag: Berlin, 2013. ISBN 9783941295124
- ↑ Melanie Huber: Dear Mr. Püscher, unfortunately I did not meet you. The Alfeld photographer Eberhard Püscher: a biographical approach. BA thesis in the cultural journalism course at the University of Hildesheim. Hildesheim: 2012
- ↑ Barry King: On the Work of Remembering. The search for the perfect moment. In: Herta Wolf (Ed.): Discourses of Photography. Suhrkamp: Frankfurt / Main, 2013
- ↑ Simon Schwinge: The Adenstedt strategists. In: RUNDBRIEF FOTOGRAFIE, issue RF 77.