Henry Busse was an amateur photographer, who, while working at the Eldorado Mine, in remote Port Radium, took photos of high enough quality he was encouraged to become a professional photographer.[1][2] He was the first professional photographer in the Northwest Territories.[3] In 1961 the Northern News Service reported he had been named as one of Canada's 50 most important photographers.[4]
Henry Busse | |
|---|---|
 Henry Busse in 1947 | |
| Born | 1896 Waldshaart, Germany |
| Died | 1962 (aged 65–66) |
| Other names | Hans Heinrich Maximilian Busse |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Known for | His photos from Port Radium are part of the history of the development of the Atomic Bomb |
Life in Germany
editBusse's father was a judge.[4] He enlisted in the German artillery, during World War One, and studied Agriculture at the University of Bonn.[5] He married, and fathered a daughter, in Germany, but separated prior to his immigration to Canada, in 1927.
Life in Canada
editPort Radium was the source of the Uranium used by the Manhattan Project in building the first atomic bombs, and his photographs help document that part of the history of the development of atomic energy.[6][2]
Busse died in a bush plane accident, in 1962.[1] The Northwest Territories Archives' collection holds between 30,000 and 50,000 photographs taken by Busse.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b
"1947 Henry Busse, Photographer". NWT Timeline. Archived from the original on 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
Hans Heinrich Maximilian "Henry" Busse was the Northwest Territories' most famous resident photographer.
- ^ a b
Peter C. van Wyck (2010). Highway of the Atom. McGill-Queen’s University Press. p. 15. ISBN 9780773580879. Archived from the original on 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
A German immigrant and photographer by the name of Henry Busse established a photography club at Port Radium in the mid-1930s, and as a result there are thousands of photographs of life at and around the mine. Many of these photographs and a number of other documents, maps and journals are in the holding of Northwest Territories archives at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Center in Yellowknife.
- ^ a b
Ollie Williams (2019-10-31). "In pictures: The NWT's old Halloween photos". Cabin Radio. Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
Busse, considered Yellowknife's first professional photographer, documented the city's history in tens of thousands of images. They were donated to the archive by his family – he passed away in 1962.
- ^ a b Michele LeTourneau (1999-11-12). "Legacy of a visual legend: Busse photos a must-see". Northern News Services. Yellowknife. Retrieved 2021-01-21.[dead link]
- ^
"Henry Busse: Yellowknife's First Professional Photographer". Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
After Henry Busse's death in 1962, the Yellowknife Museum Society approached Henry's daughter to acquire his work and preserve it for future generations of northerners.
- ^ "Bombhead". Atomic Photographers Guild. Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
External links
edit
Media related to Henry Busse (photographer) at Wikimedia Commons- Henry Busse fonds, Northwest Territories Archives
