Biographical Information: 3/16/13
I knew my grandfather from my
mother’s stories and the photographs and paintings hanging on our walls, no
matter where we moved. My
mother’s family was fractured by divorce, by trauma, war, and my parent’s
emigration to the U.S. in 1951.
Walter’s work helped us maintain a sense of connection to family and
Germany.
Walter Arthur Wilhelm Fritz
Wissenbach was born on October 21, 1901.
He was a long time resident of Herborn, Germany. (His given name and date of birth are
as recorded by his first child, Ingeborg Wissenbach Wendt, 1925-2007.) Two additional children came from a
second marriage. His second
daughter died recently and is survived by a brother, Werner. Walter died in 1981 according to his
tombstone. Neither his birth
or death dates are confirmed by official documents. Ingeborg left a family tree
naming Walter’s parents, grandparents, and great-grand parents. None of these have been confirmed by
geneological research. Ingeborg
saidWalter turned to photography around 1942 after a wartime injury hampered
his ability to paint. He would
have been forty two at the time.
Another family anecdote had Walter entertaining the troops (during
WWII?) with nature photography.
Family legend is not always consistent. When and how his skills as a photographer emerged are not
yet clear. Further investigation
into family documents and other resources may illuminate this in time. It was common for photographers to enter
the field after art study. The paintings
Walter left offer insight into his artistic development. The earliest painting in the collection
was completed in 1920. A style development
in the collection of paintings and
drawings suggest the effect of a course of study and yet a clear emerging sense
of composition. He probably
studied art in Frankfurt where my mother was born in 1925. Some paintings are on canvas and others
on paper board, suggesting scarcity of
materials. Walter completed a number of paintings of the
Matterhorn. According to
family legend he enjoyed mountaineering and climbed the Matterhorn on more than
one occasion. I spent the
1968-69 academic year in Europe.
On the few occasions I was with my grandfather, he took time to teach me
about his craft and also to take me out in the field with cameras. His back yard was a source of
some of his published photos.
Newspaper clippings report on a wilelife photographic expedition to
Africa. Walter’s
publications and work publishd in other sources is listed on the site’s
publications page. The fabric of
Walter’s life as a professional photographer is still largely unknown by me. Ingrid Wendt Jones
