1250
and began to make stereo daguerreotypes, fi lling the
demand for photographs in three dimensions. It was
one of several distinctive characteristics of the Schnei-
ders’ photography that they not only made such a large
quantity of stereo daguerreotypes, but that they appear
to have refused to make any ‘studies,’ the usual title
for nude and often pornographic stereo daguerreoty-
pes. Having begun to daguerreotype at the height of
the industry, Trutpert Schneider and his sons adhered
to their successful medium, only occasionally making
Ambrotypes, and much later, learning the wet plate and
dry plate processes. Their lack of novel innovation does
not appear to have injured their business or slowed the
demand for their photographs.
In 1852, Trutpert and Heinrich Schneider began a
much longer tour, on foot, through Switzerland, and over
the mountains to the region of Lombardy, which was
under Austrian control at the time. It was here that the
Schneiders fi rst met the Prince Karl von Baden, whose
acquaintence would aid their later work in Russia. The
sitting calendar shows that father and son travelled and
photographed in Como, Brescia, Verona, Venice and
Vicenza. They kept a tight schedule, moving from one
place to another, but still there were times when no ap-
pointments were made, and to fi ll the time and his purse,
Trutpert offered instruction in his own method of pen-
manship. In 1854, they were again on the road, this time
to Vienna, where they remained a year. This pattern of
travel was followed by the brothers Wilhelm and Heinrich
when they succeeded their father in the business.
It may have been as late as 1856 that Wilhelm fi rst
joined his brother and father in photography. The Atelier
of T. Schneider & Sons was fi rmly established from the
year 1858 onwards, when the Schneider brothers kept
an orderly record of their portrait sittings. Trutpert, who
would live to very advanced age, continued actively in
the partnership but more and more remained at home in
Ehrenstetten while Wilhelm and Heinrich widened their
circles of travel and their fame. They would establish
themselves in a city for a certain time, taking rooms that
would be made into a temporary and often luxurious stu-
dio, and photograph until it was time to move on to the
next city. In this way, they daguerreotyped in Cologne,
Frankfurt, Bonn, Hamburg and Berlin.
It was in Berlin in 1859, that Wilhelm and Heinrich
plied their daguerreotyping skills to great effect, achie-
ving a level of fame that was previously unknown to
them. They photographed notables from His Majesty
the Prince Regent (preparing and developing the plates
in his highness’s bedchamber, much to the titillation of
the press) to the Lord and Lady Bloomfi eld. They would
return to Berlin several times, documenting not only
the wealthy and famous people, but the architecture as
well—of which beautiful examples exist in stereo. After
their success in Berlin, the Schneider brothers never
wanted for work, and indeed they earned enormous sums
of money in each city they worked.
In late May 1861, the brothers arrived for their fi rst
daguerreotyping tour of Russia. St. Petersburg, still in
the grip of winter, was only a short layover before they
continued on to Moscow. In Moscow, they were treated
like visiting dignitaries, allowed access to the royals,
given transportation and an escort, and housed in the
Kremlin. On this fi rst visit, the brothers remained less
than a month, returning to St. Petersburg, where they
stayed a year. They returned to Moscow again in the
summer of 1862, and photographed in Königsberg and
northern Prussia on their way back to Berlin, returning
home fi nally in 1863.
Although the brothers continued to travel the length
and breadth of Germany for several years, they were
thinking of settling back near their hometown. They
fi nally opened a newly built photographic studio near
the train station in Krozigen in 1867. Trutpert Schneider
lived on until 27 December 1899, long enough to see his
sons turn fi rst to wet plate, then to dry plate photography.
Wilhelm Schneider outlived Heinrich, who died only six
months after their father. But when Wilhelm also died in
1921 the era of T. Schneider & Söhne came to an end.
Kelley WilderBiography
Trutpert Schneider (13 March 1804–27 December
1988), and his two sons Heinrich (9 October 1835–13
May 1900), and Wilhelm (10 October 1839–21 January
1921), from near Freiburg in Breisgau, operated a da-
guerreotype and photographic studio from 1848–1921.
For many of these years it was a travelling studio, not
only within Germany, but in the neighboring lands of
Austria, Italy, and Russia. They refi ned the art of the
itinerate photographer, however, and created an event of
their arrival in each city, often photographing the most
famous and wealthy inhabitents. From 1859–1863 the
fi rm enjoyed considerable success, spending a great part
of the time in Berlin, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Most
distinctively, the Schneider Atelier continued to make
daguerreotypes and stereo daguerreotypes long after
the invention of the wet plate. The daguerreotypes were
often hand colored, and the stereos were famous for their
plasticity. In 1867 the brothers opened their fi rst fi xed
studio in Krozigen, incorporating fi rst the wet plate and
later dry plate for their photography.
See also: Daguerreotype; and Wet Collodion Positive
Processes.Further Reading
Geiges, Leif, T. Schneider & Söhne 1847–1921. Vom Dorfschri-
ener zum Hofphotographen, Freiburg: Schillinger Verlag
1989.