Walter Mittelholzer

20 Jul — 7 Oct 2018 at the National Museum Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland

27 September 2018

Mittelholzer’s service offering included photographing business enterprises like this one, Gaswerk Basel in St. Johann. Mittelholzer’s pictures documented structural changes in Swiss industry. ETH Library, Zurich

Walter Mittelholzer was a pilot, author, entrepreneur, media star, co-founder of Swissair and photographer. The St. Gallen native was a man of many talents and wasn’t afraid to exploit them.

Thanks to his acute business acumen and plenty of self-confidence, he not only produced books, reportages and films, but also captured countless landscapes from a bird’s-eye view.

A selection of his achievements is now on show at the National Museum.

National Museum Zurich

The permanent exhibitions at the museums present Swiss history from its beginnings to the present, and give an insight into Swiss identities and the rich tapestry of our country’s history and culture.

Museum profile

Location

Zurich, Switzerland

This photo of the north face of the Eiger appears in Alpenflug, a book by Mittelholzer published in 1928. He took the picture in 1919 at an altitude of 3800 metres.
ETH Library, Zurich

The pilot and entrepreneur Walter Mittelholzer, born in St. Gallen in 1894, was renowned for his adventurous expedition flights. ETH Library, Zurich

In his domestic flights Mittelholzer also recorded images of urban infrastructure, in this case the road bridge in Pérolles, Fribourg (1926).ETH Library, Zurich

This photo of the north face of the Eiger appears in Alpenflug, a book by Mittelholzer published in 1928. He took the picture in 1919 at an altitude of 3800 metres. ETH Library, Zurich
The pilot and entrepreneur Walter Mittelholzer, born in St. Gallen in 1894, was renowned for his adventurous expedition flights. ETH Library, Zurich
In his domestic flights Mittelholzer also recorded images of urban infrastructure, in this case the road bridge in Pérolles, Fribourg (1926).ETH Library, Zurich

The pilot and entrepreneur Walter Mittelholzer, born in St. Gallen in 1894, was renowned for his adventurous expedition flights. ETH Library, Zurich
In his domestic flights Mittelholzer also recorded images of urban infrastructure, in this case the road bridge in Pérolles, Fribourg (1926).ETH Library, Zurich
This photo of the north face of the Eiger appears in Alpenflug, a book by Mittelholzer published in 1928. He took the picture in 1919 at an altitude of 3800 metres. ETH Library, Zurich