“The Dean Of American Photography”

Frederick Gutekunst
(1831-1917)

Known As:

Early American Portrait Photographer. Involved in Civil War photography.

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Location:

Section:
X
Plot:
191 E Part & 193 W Part

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Young Frederick was born into a good art family, literally. Gutekunst translates to “good art” in German. His father was a cabinetmaker. Born on September 25, 1831, Fredrick's place of birth is not well known. Some believe he was born in Germantown which was incorporated as part of the city of Philadelphia in 1854. Other's believe he was born in a German town.

Following his father's wishes to become a lawyer, Fredrick studied for six years under the principle clerk to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Joseph Simon Cohen. Frederick found that law could not hold his interest. He called it “dry and uninteresting”. Turning his focus to the growing world of photography. He began learning the process of daguerreotype, a very complicated early way to print a photograph. Despite the number of tedious steps it took, it made photos available to the public. Gutekunst learned the daguerreotype process from another pioneer in the the Philadelphia photography business, Robert Cornelius, who is credited with taking the first self portrait or “selfie”. Being so well versed in chemistry, Frederick quickly found a way to convert the daguerreotype photo onto a printable electrotype plate.

Fredrick's interest in chemistry did not go unnoticed. His father sought out an internship for him with Frederick Klett, a local pharmacist. In 1853, after the four year apprenticeship, Gutekunst graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.

For the next two years, as Gutekunst worked at the pharmacy, he began collecting parts to build a camera of his own. His father built a box to house the camera after Frederick was able to acquire a lens and a battery. Joining the Franklin Institute and using their laboratories to conduct scientific experiments, he created his own photographic plates that were coated with collodion. Gutekunst began making ambrotypes of his friends in the rear of the pharmacy.

Frederick's brother Louis, who was a barber, began to financially fund Frederick's interest in photography. He must have saw something in his brother and knew he was on his way to something great. In 1856, they opened Gutekunst & Brother, a photography studio at 706 Arch Street. They fitted the studio with a much needed skylight for proper lighting on subjects.

Gutekunst & Brother
Photography Studio
706 Arch Street.

Scully & Osterman Skylight Studio in Rochester, NY has a very similar set up to that of Frederick Gutekunst. They teach workshops and private tutorials in dozens of 19th century photographic processes in their Skylight Studio and around the world. Please see some of their work on the website at: www.collodion.org

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Frederick Gutekunst was a perfectionist and oversaw every step in the photographing process, from taking the photo to developing the photo. He made sure that every photograph that left his studio was absolutely perfect. If the photograph was not up to his standards, he insisted that the photograph be retaken. This led to the increase in his reputation as the best portrait photographer.

Due to the strong demand of photographs, the business grew fast. Gutekunst first added the upper floors of 704 Arch Street to his existing gallery. Finally he had to move to a bigger space at 712 Arch Street.

The Civil War would be an event that changed Frederick's life for the better. Being that Philadelphia had a large population for military deployment, soldiers would sit for a portrait in their uniforms as a keepsake to loved ones before being sent off to battle. Gutekunst's reputation spread through the military. Generals Phillip Sheridan and George Meade sat for portraits.

On a fateful day in 1865, future president, General Ulysses S. Grant had his iconic portrait taken. Gutekunst later recalled the story in 1904:

“Grant was stopping at The Continental Hotel at the time and I invited someone over there to invite him to come to the studio for a sitting. In a short time, he strolled in and said he would have come here himself without an invitation as his brother officers wanted to come to me. When he arrived, I was busy in the operating room with a sitter. And while he waited his turn, Grant sauntered around the reception room, his right hand in his trouser's pocket, his left resting in his negligently worn vest. I kept him waiting as little as possible and when I came out, I found him in the attitude in which he is photographed. 'General', I said, 'that is a very nice position. Just keep your hand that way.'And I took him under the skylight and he resumed that attitude which was so characteristic while I made the photograph. The picture has been considered the best taken of Grant. It's been used for the statue of him in Galena. And General Sherman sent me a letter in which he asserts his belief that it is the most characteristic of the great general.”

1865 portrait of
General Ulysses S. Grant

This portrait in particular, gained him the reputation as being the “Dean Of American Photography”. Other notable men that had sat for a portrait in Gutekunst's studio were Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt Whitman, William McKinley, Grover Cleveland, and even Abraham Lincoln.

Walt
Whitman

Grover
Cleveland

Abraham
Lincoln

In 1875, while working as a the official photographer for the Pennsylvania Railroad, Gutekunst printed a collection of stereo views of his photographs of structures and scenery.

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Gutekunst was recognized for his photographs of the Gettysburg Battlefield. In 1876, using seven negatives, he created a panoramic that measured 10 foot wide and 18 inches high in time for the Centennial Exposition. At the time, it was the largest photograph in the world.

With his business growing, Gutekunst expanded his factory to a more industrial section of Philadelphia at 813 Girard Ave, where his expansion led him to produce illustrations for various books published by D. Appleton & Co. of New York. This new location also saw Frederick begin to use a new camera that could take a single photo of one hundred and eighty degrees. His new factory had the capability of producing prints up to thirty-six inches in length. Today, we call that a Panoramic Camera.

In 1885, The American Philosophical Society elected Frederick Gutekunst as a member.

In 1893, Gutekunst needed additional studio space. Choosing a location in Philadelphia's upscale neighborhood, he opened a location at 1700 N. Broad Street, now the site of a Barnes & Noble serving the law students of Temple University.

By 1893, Gutekunst had successfully been in business for nearly forty years. His success meant that he could move out of the busy city and into better neighborhood to live. Frederick moved his family to the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

In 1916, after having successfully run his photography business for sixty years, some of his older employees became stockholders when Gutekunst incorporated his business.

Frederick was first married in 1858 to Emma L. Gutekunst (1835-1880), who was involved in the founding of the Pennsylvania Industrial Home For Blind Women. Today it is known as the Edith R. Rudolphy Residence For The Blind and sits at 3827 Powelton Ave. Four years after Emma's death in 1880, he married Sarah Ann Cox Gutekunst (1852-1907).

In early March, Frederick was suffering from Bright's disease, a liver ailment. While returning to his studio after lunch, he fell down the steps. He died eight weeks later on April 27, 1917. It is believed that the fall along with the Bright's disease contributed to his death.

Frederick Gutekunst is buried with his two wives at Laurel Hill Cemetery, Section X, under an obelisk that bears their names. Emma got the top spot and has her accomplishments listed. Frederick is only listed by name and dates. The Gutekunst obelisk makes no mention of his career or the importance he had in photography.