Trusted photographer’s works reveal Mennonite world

A recent Flash From the Past picture has proven to be worth far more than a thousand words. When I asked for help in identifying the photograph, the first to respond was singer/artist Lance Russwurm, revealing the exact location and the photographer, St. Jacobs’ David L. Hunsberger.

Russwurm worked for Hunsberger’s gallery in the 1980s: “He was highly respected for his ‘insider’ portraits of the Old Order (Mennonite/Amish) lifestyle. He was such a nice, laid-back man … interested in everything and we’d chat for hours.”

Russwurm also pointed out that the featured photo had appeared, cropped, in the 1977 book “People Apart: Portrait of a Mennonite World in Waterloo County, Ontario,” published by Sand Hills Press.

In that book’s foreword, Paul Tiessen noted Hunsberger’s ability to interact effortlessly with the Old Order world of the rural townships surrounding his St. Jacobs home and studio: “He has caught a sense of the abundant profusion of life of what sometimes, to an outsider, seems like such a confined world. His photographs are neither intrusive nor spectacular, neither silly nor superficial. Each invites us to linger with it a while.”

The first online stop in following Hunsberger is Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo, where the huge Mennonite Archives of Ontario is held. Within that collection are thousands of Hunsberger’s donated photographs — there is also a small permanent display in the college’s library space.

Hunsberger was born in Kitchener in 1928 to Noah and Minnie Hunsberger. Noah had been a minister at Erb Street Mennonite church for 26 of the first 30 years of the 20th century. When Hunsberger was 14, the family moved to St. Jacobs where he spent the next 55 years.

Thanks to the young man’s curiosity about — and self-taught skills in — photography, there exists today a revealing visual portrait of Waterloo County/Region, both Mennonite and non-Mennonite. Forging links, he developed trust with Mennonites ranging from the conservative Old Order groups to progressive urban-based faithful. Hunsberger’s camera caught rural scenes that could have been from the 19th century, as well as views showing the beginnings of modernday Mennonite institutions such as Conrad Grebel University College, Rockway high school and the Mennonite Savings and Credit Union.

Realizing that making a living and raising a family by photography work alone could take several years, Hunsberger became a bookkeeper at Kitchener’s B.F. Goodrich plant. Before too long though, photography took over his entire workday and his home.

Opening his Laughing Horse Gallery in St. Jacobs, he combined retail, studio, gallery and darkroom. Eventually, it became a must-see stop for tourists and drop-in spot for area residents. When Hunsberger stepped back from the gallery, his wife Kate and son Robert managed it at several locations before the 2000 closing.

Hunsberger attracted considerable non-Mennonite business as well: portraits, church and school groups, store openings, weddings, construction, nature, even news stories. Some of his photos appeared on glossy postcards.

Traditional Mennonite activities appeared often in his lens: barn raisings, streams of buggies, children at play, market days and farm work. What made Hunsberger different was the fine balance he created with his Mennonite subjects.

Many of the conservative groups were wary, indeed uneasy and concerned, about having identifiable photographs taken of adult members. In his photos of Old Order Mennonites, the camera was often behind the subjects or the faces were shadowed. In scenes where people could be recognized, Hunsberger’s subjects would either have been non-ultra conservative members or permission would have been given. He learned from his youngest days to respect and recognize the various elements making up that non-monolithic group we outsiders collectively lump together as Mennonites.

In addition to the 5,700 photos donated to Conrad Grebel in 2005 (the year of Hunsberger’s death), the Hunsberger family retains some of his more artistic and definitive photographs. Son Fred notes that Toronto’s Cardinal Gallery features many of Hunsberger’s best photos in high definition.

RYCHMILLS@GOLDEN.NET