The silk manufacturer Rudolf Zinggeler (1864–1954) from Richterswil (canton of Zurich) took photos mainly in the cantons of Valais, Ticino and Graubünden between 1890 and 1936.
© NL/FAHM
Content and scope
- Photos of towns and villages, buildings, landscapes and day-to-day rural life (work, leisure, festivals)
- 15,280 glass and plastic negatives, black and white, in the formats 9 x 12 cm, 13 x 18 cm and 18 x 24 cm
- 16,340 prints from glass plates (1956–1965)
- The prints are mounted on card, annotated and organised alphabetically by location.
Collection principles
© NL/FAHM
- Rudolf Zinggeler’s heirs gifted his photographic estate to the Swiss National Museum in Zurich in 1956.
- Once the collection had been catalogued and prints produced, most of it was transferred to the Federal Archives of Historic Monuments (FAHM) in 1969.
- The photos of towns, villages, landscapes and day-to-day rural life have great value as historical documents and part of the national heritage. They fit perfectly into the core remit of the FAHM.
Research and access
- You can access the entire Rudolf Zinggeler collection in the HelveticArchives database.
- The originals can be viewed by prior appointment in the Prints and Drawings Department.
Last modification 28.09.2023
Contact
Swiss National Library
Prints and Drawings Department
Hallwylstrasse 15
3003
Bern
Switzerland
Phone
+41 58 462 89 71