And
we are indeed fortunate that there have always been individuals
who have dedicated their lives to recording our history through
the art of photography. Today, as in yesteryear, professional
photographers can be found in nearly every town – large or
small. Many years ago the little town of Hallettsville, Texas, had
one of the best of these image-makers. His name was Henry Jacob
Braunig.
Braunig was born April 1, 1861, on a farm near Old Meyersville in DeWitt County. His mother and father came to Texas in the 1840s. When he was 2 years old, his father was killed in the Civil War. His mother remarried a man named Nau and young Braunig was raised and went to school in Yorktown. He was in school there for about seven years – according to Braunig, that was all the education being offered at the time. In
her book The Diamond Years of Texas Photography, Ava
Crofford includes an autobiography which was written by Braunig in
1937. In it he gives a brief summary of his life claiming only to
have written it “so [his children] might know of some of the
happenings of their Dad’s earlier life.” At
the age of 14, young Henry Braunig became restless and decided it
was time to leave the farm and seek a new life. “In 1875 I left
home on horseback to make my way in the world, Cuero, Texas, was
my destination,” he wrote. His first job was with Graves
Brothers Drygoods Co. – although he made good money at that job
Braunig was not happy with his living conditions and decided to
move on. He
was working as a clerk in Cuero when he met Pius Fey, the man who
would become his future partner. Fey was a traveling photographer
who made his headquarters in Cuero. Braunig was not in good health
when he met Fey and the photographer suggested that he accompany
him, as his assistant, on his next trip to the mountains in the
spring of 1875. “My acceptance led to an almost lifelong
partnership, for it continued from 1878 to 1909 – 31 years –
and today we are as good friends as were ever called by that
name,” wrote Braunig. The
new partnership operated under the name of Fey & Braunig and
together the two men formed one of the most respected photography
businesses in Texas. Fey operated a studio in Cuero while Braunig
was located in Hallettsville. In 1888 Braunig built a new home and
married Mary A. Lindenberg. They raised five children here and
were together until her death in 1912. After the passing of his
“beloved Mary,” he continued to be quite active in community
affairs – serving as alderman for eight years and as chief of
the local fire department for nearly a quarter of a century. One
of his fondest memories was that of having been elected as
president of the State Fireman’s Association.
In
1895 Fey and Braunig built a new two-story building designed
especially for use as a photography studio with the upper floor
having large windows and skylights to take advantage of natural
light. The partners operated a stationery and bookstore
downstairs. By all accounts this was the first building west of
the Mississippi that was built purposely for use as a photography
studio. That unique building, standing on the south side of the
square, is still in use today and is home to Hallettsville Florist
and Gifts. The
affiliation of Fey and Braunig lasted for some 31 years and even
after they ended the partnership in 1909, the two men continued to
be the best of friends. According
to many, Henry Braunig was an outstanding photographer of his era.
He used an Emil Busch, 8x10 lens for all his portraits. That
specific lens was one of the best available at the time. In the
years 1913 and 1914 he served as president of the Texas
Professional Photographers Association. He also trained others who
would go on to become highly-respected photographers, including
Dr. John Matthias Kuehne, longtime Professor of Physics at the
University of Texas. In
1940 Braunig planned to retire but with America on the brink of
war, many new military enlistees and their families began to come
to him for portraits. He put off retirement saying, “How could I
retire now, who would take these boy’s pictures?” Sadly, after
putting off retirement to serve others, Braunig’s studio was a
victim of the 1940 flood and many of his photographic plates,
dating from the beginning of his career, were destroyed. Henry Jacob Braunig died in December 1945 at the age of 84 – he was still working in the studio just days before his death. On Dec. 11, 1945, The Lavaca County Tribune included the following: “Not even he knew how many newly married couples came to him in his long career of 67 years as photographer to
have their event
eternalized. To many of them, the wedding was not complete without
a picture from Braunig.” Some
13 years later, in January 1958, The Lavaca County Tribune
ran a small article about Braunig. It stated, “All of the
negatives that Mr. Henry J. Braunig had at the time of his death
are being displayed on a counter at the Hallettsville Hardware
Company. If you find negatives of favorite loved ones you may take
it home free of any charge whatsoever as a courtesy of Thomas
Keith Hill who bought the equipment of Mr. Braunig thinking he
would continue the business.” The story indicated that there
were thousands of negatives on display. Chances
are that many families in this area have old pictures in their
possession with the name “Fey & Braunig” imprinted on them
– if you have one of these, take into account the love and
dedication that went into the creation of that image. It
was reported that as death was approaching and he was surrounded
by his children Braunig remarked, “If I had an opportunity to
live my life over, I would want it exactly as it was.”
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