Oskar Ludwig Robert 1871-1937 and Theodor Ferdinand Eduard Hofmeister 1868-1943 were German brothers who, for the most part, made pictorial photographs together from 1895 into the 1910s.
They were both born in Hamburg, and lived there for most of
their lives in the same house. Theodor established a wholesale business selling
door and window hardware. Oskar became a lawyer, working in both Hamburg’s
district court and, by 1929, as an inspector in the regional court.
Though they occasionally issued work individually, the Hofmeisters made
their name together. Oskar was usually in charge of making the exposures, but
his brother often accompanied him and discussed possible compositions over
sketches that Oskar made at the scene. Theodor then printed their pictures,
turning their large bathroom into a darkroom. He learned the gum-bichromate
process from the Viennese pictorialist Heinrich Kuehn. Theodor and Oskar exhibited
their work heavily until about 1910. Their pictures were seen regularly in the
international exhibitions in Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, Wiesbaden, Amsterdam,
Boston, Brussels, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Paris, and Vienna.
In addition to Camera Work, other periodicals outside of Germany reproduced their images.
Oskar Hofmeister died in Hamburg in 1937. Theodor died on March 1, 1943, in Ichenhauser, Germany.
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