Manuel Walser30.06.2025Photographer Eric Bachmann (1940-2019) shaped the perception of many events in recent Swiss history through his pictures and themes. One of his standout projects was his coverage of the 1968 Globus riots in Zurich and the unique way it combined informative value with aesthetic quality.
Dominik Landwehr05.06.2025Johann Philipp Ziegler was a merchant from Winterthur. In the late 19th century, his company was the biggest exporter of Oriental carpets from what is now Iran.
Saro Pepe19.12.2024In its early days, photography was often seen as a male domain. However, some females were also among the pioneers of the new art form in the 19th century, including in Switzerland. One of them was Regula Rathgeb, who even wanted to set up her own studio.
Murielle Schlup31.10.2023Thanks to digital technology, the creation and sharing of portraits is now popular, cheap, and almost obligatory. Before the advent of photography, this task was fulfilled by portrait painting. We take a look at its origins and how it evolved.
Dominik Landwehr07.09.2023In 1960 an unusual camera came onto the market: the Tessina, made in Grenchen. It was the world’s smallest 35mm camera at the time. Although never a bestseller, it proved popular with some of the intelligence services.
Adi Kälin03.08.2023Over 180 years ago, Switzerland’s first photographer, Johann Baptist Isenring, wowed the public and newspapers with his picture and took the oldest existing photograph of Zurich. Although Isenring was one of the best-known and most prolific photographers of his time, very few of his pictures still exist today.
Julia Hübner01.02.2023It's hard to imagine now, but it actually happened in the winter of 1963. Lake Zurich froze over entirely. The authorities opened the ice on 1 February, and the last public festival on the lake began.
Michael van Orsouw11.02.2022Swedish writer Strindberg suffered such hard times in Switzerland that he took up photography to make ends meet – and during a stay at Lake Lucerne, he produced the first selfies.
