The Linck Photographic Dynasty. A Portrait of Bourgeois Manners – Contract Photography as a Reflection of Winterthur and Zurich Society 1864–1949

The work of this photographic dynasty, active in Winterthur and Zurich from 1864 to 1949, deserves being discovered. The Winterthur photographers Johann, Hermann and Hans Linck and in the Zurich branch Ernst, Philipp and Max formed a Swiss dynasty of special quality. Not only their industrial photography’s exceptional objectivity and sharpness of content, but also their urban landscapes, architectural photography and their staged portraits captivate with their clarity and simplicity. The Lincks were not photo-artists, but contract photographers in the best sense of the word. With industriousness, skillfulness and a high level of professionalism, they documented the economic and urban growth of the Canton of Zurich and thus created a sort of “respectable” genre picture of this region, providing a worthy reflection of the spirit of the bourgeois period.

The exhibition, with approx. 300 original photographs, is drawn from numerous company archives and private collections, especially from the extensive archive of the City of Zurich, from the Schweizerische Stiftung für die Photographie, Zürich, and from the Institut gta of the ETH Zürich.

The exhibition was curated by Urs Stahel and Giorgio Wolfenberger.

Main sponsor: Fonds für gemeinnützige Zwecke des Kantons Zürich