Rutishauser portrait collection
Can you still picture Kurt Furgler’s facial expressions and mannerisms? Would you like to see the inauguration of Elisabeth Kopp, the first female member of the Federal Council? Or perhaps you are looking for photos that capture the spirit of Christoph Blocher in the National Council? Then delve into the BiG’s Rutishauser portrait collection – a veritable treasure trove of snapshots that show Switzerland’s political scene in the 1980s and 1990s.
Federal Councillor Kurt Furgler, 1980.
Federal Councillor Kurt Furgler in the chamber of the National Council, 1980
Inauguration of Federal Councillor Elisabeth Kopp, 1984
Elisabeth Kopp was the first woman to be elected to the Federal Council. Inauguration, 1984
National Councillor Christoph Blocher, 1993
National Councillor Christoph Blocher, 1993
Carl Gustav, 1985
Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustav of Sweden, President of the Swiss Confederation Kurt Furgler, 1985
Meier-Bührer, 1987
Councillors of State Josi J. Meier and Esther Bührer, 1987
Press and Federal Palace photographer Walter Rutishauser, born 1940, was deeply interested in the events that took place in the Federal Palace. He took portraits of federal councillors and members of the National Council and Council of States; he captured politicians engrossed in debate and took part in press conferences and public events.
In 2000 the Library am Guisanplatz (BiG) obtained around ten thousand of Rutishauser’s photographs and in 2013 took over his entire photo archive.
The Rutishauser portrait collection contains over 6,000 digitised photographs. It can be accessed online via the Alexandria search portal.
The BiG owns the copyright to all of the pictures in this collection. They can be used freely for academic, private or non-commercial purposes provided the sources are cited according to the recommended format (in compliance with data protection and trademark rights).
Recommended format for source citation: Library am Guisanplatz, Rutishauser portrait collection