Summer/Fall 1999 Richard L. Hunster and His Photographs 37

Richard L. Hunster andHis Photographs ofCincinnatiSteamboats

M'Lissa Kesterman

At the beginning of the twentieth centu-ry there were a number of commercial photographersin towns along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers whotook a personal interest in taking photographs ofsteamboats. While portraiture was usually their pri-mary source of income, steamboat photographybecame their secondary one. And just as the collectingof picture postcardsbecame a popular pas-time during this periodso did the collecting ofsteamboat pictures. Infact several of these pho-tographers issued theirsteamboat pictures aspostcards. One of these"steamboat" photogra-phers lived in Cincinnati.He was Richard L.Hunster, a black photog-rapher who enjoyedsteamboats and pho-tographed many of theboats which operated inthe Cincinnati area.

R i c h a r d

Hunster's parents,Alexander A. Hunsterand Catherine CampbellHunster, were free blacks

whose families had settled in Cincinnati in the 1830s.Alexander was born in Alabama in 1825 and, likeother men in his family became a barber. Catherinewas born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1830. The twowere married in Cincinnati in 1846.

About 1858 Alexander and CatherineHunster left Cincinnati with their daughter Carrieand their son Andrew and moved to Madison, Indiana.Here, Alexander continued to work as a barber. TheHunsters had three more children while in Madison:Griffen, Richard, who was born in July 1862, andAlbert.

Around the close of the Civil War, theHunsters moved again. This time they moved theirfamily to Portsmouth, Ohio, where their youngest son

Robert was born. It is not known why they moved at

this time, but it is known that at some point

Alexander Hunster began working as a barber aboard

the packet boats which regularly ran in and out of

Portsmouth. Because his father was associated with

M'Lissa Kesterman, Assistant from Indiana University. The A picture of the Greenland byManager of the Rare Booksand Special CollectionsDepartment at the PublicLibrary of Cincinnati andHamilton County, has a mas-ter's degree in library science

Inland Rivers Library, one ofthe department's special col-lections is one of her primaryresponsibilities.

Hunster in the W.J DevineCollection is considered "oneof the best he ever took."(CHS Photograph Collection)

38

steamboats and his family continually lived in townsalong the Ohio River, it seems quite natural thatRichard Hunster developed a fondness for steamboatswhich remained with him his entire life.

In 1877 when Richard was fifteen-years-old, his father died of consumption. About five yearslater, Richard apparently decided to leave his familyin Portsmouth and move to Cincinnati, the citywhere his parents had lived so many years before.

During Richard Hunster's first years inCincinnati, he worked as a porter. However, by thelate 1880s he was employed as an artist. One of hisemployers at this time was Isaac Benjamin. Benjamin,a photographer who, with his brother Henry, owned abusiness which specialized in the reproduction of pho-tographs on china. Richard Hunster's experience as anartist with Isaac Benjamin may have been one reasonhe eventually became a photographer.

Queen City Heritage

The Cincinnati city directories first listRichard Hunster as a photographer in 1897.Unfortunately, outside of his work taking pho-tographs of steamboats, very little is known aboutHunster as a commercial photographer. Hunster'sphotographs usually cannot be traced back to himsince his name does not appear on his prints and veryfew of them contain his initials. In fact, if it were notfor the writings of Captain Frederick Way, Jr., and theidentifications which Captain Way placed on thesteamboat pictures that he purchased from Hunster,the importance of Richard Hunster's work as a steam-boat photographer would be largely unknown.1

Unlike some of the photographers whoissued printed lists of the steamboat pictures they hadfor sale, Hunster laboriously wrote his picture lists outby hand. It was from one of these handwritten lists thatCaptain Way set out to acquire as many Hunster pho-

The picture of the New Southon May 18, 1902, is one of thefew Richard Hunster initialedand dated. (From the collec-tion of the Public Library ofCincinnati and HamiltonCounty)

Summer/Fall 1999 Richard L. Hunster and His Photographs 39

tographs as he could possibly afford. In 1915 Way, afourteen-year-old youngster, obtained Hunster's addressfrom Ed Ojeman, who worked on the Louisville andCincinnati Packet Co/s wharfboat in Cincinnati, andbegan corresponding with Richard Hunster.

The prices which Hunster charged for hisphotographs were considered quite reasonable. Hesold postcard views for five cents each and 6 1/2x81/2 inch prints for twenty-five cents, or five for a dol-lar. His photographs of Cincinnati steamboats werequite excellent. Many of them depict the packet boatsof steamboat lines like the Louisville and CincinnatiPacket Co., the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati PacketLine, and the Greene Line. He occasionally also pho-tographed towboats and other steam vessels in theCincinnati area.

Some of Hunster's images show dramaticscenes of steamboats under way, like the Queen Citybound for Pittsburgh or the Bostona on her final trip,with clouds of black smoke billowing from hersmokestacks. Other images show tragic scenes suchas the aftermath of the burning of the Indiana in 1916or the remains of the City of Cincinnati and the City

of Louisville following the terrible winter of 1917-1918 when they were crushed by ice.

In addit ion to selling original pho-tographs of steamboats which he viewed along theCincinnati riverfront, Richard Hunster also sold"copy" prints; that is, he would buy or borrow oldsteamboat pictures from collectors or other photogra-phers, and then he would make copy negatives whichhe later printed and sold. Such practices were quitecommon among steamboat photographers, and itwould not be surprising to find that some of thesephotographers made copy prints of Hunster's steam-boat pictures. The copy prints which Hunster soldhowever, were not of the same quality as his ownoriginal photographs. Some are extremely poor. Butregardless of their quality, Richard Hunster did pre-serve a number of steamboat pictures dating back tothe 1860s which are still enjoyed by steamboat enthu-siasts today.

After corresponding with Hunster for acouple of years, Fred Way decided to visit him while on atrip to Cincinnati in July 1917. Captain Way later des-cribed this visit in a 1935 article on steamboat pictures:

On August 29, 1899, fromLudlow, Kentucky, RichardHunster photographed theBostona on her final tripdown river. After twentyyears of service she was onher way to Jeffersonville,

Indiana for dismantling.(From the collection of thePublic Library of Cincinnatiand Hamilton County)

4O

Anybody who collects steamboat pic-tures will hear, sooner or later, of Richard L. Hunster.He was a colored man-, a small, thin-faced fellow,shabbily dressed, who was stung with the mania ofphotographing every steamboat in the Cincinnativicinity. . . . J first heard of him in 1915 and com-pletely drained my financial resources by ordering,from time to time (as the bank account would allow)all of his 400 post card pictures and his three score ormore "six and a halfs {sic} by eight and a half." In1917 I hunted him up in Cincinnati, at his Gilbertavenue address. It was a rainy day . . . and I foundHunster on the second floor of a shabby buildingentered through a narrow alley. He made a great fussabout this visit from a 16-year-old boy, and spreadnewspapers on a chair for my convenience and com-fort. Then he dug out films and plates. I must takethis picture, and this one. Oh, no-, no pay this time; Iwas a guest. Three happy hours with this little col-ored man. It was still raining when it was time toleave. "No umbrella!" he exclaimed, and despite

Queen City Heritage

insistence to the contrary, he unfurled the best hehad, hoisted it over my head, and walked me downto Fountain Square. My visits to Cincinnati since1917 have been legion but none will ever comparewith this rainy day with Hunster and his pictures forpure joy, pleasure, and wealth of association.2

The photographs which Way took awayon that rainy summer day in 1917 were perhaps someof the most interesting he had ever acquired fromHunster. They were views of steamboat cabin interi-ors which showed the crews seated at dinner tables. Inall their correspondence with one another, Hunsterhad never mentioned these photographs, apparentlythinking Way would not want them. But in reality, asWay described them many years later, "they werepure gold."3

Richard Hunster photographed steam-boats from about 1896 to at least 1918, perhaps a fewyears longer. The city directories last list him as aphotographer in 1924. According to Captain Way, helast saw Hunster in 1926 working as a porter at the

mm

Captain Wray described theviews of steamboat cabininteriors as "pure gold." Aview of the cabin of theCourier pictured the crewseated for dinner. The openstateroom doors on each side

allow one to see the bunkbeds inside. (From the collec-tion of the Public Library ofCincinnati and HamiltonCounty)

Summer/Fall 1999 Richard L. Hunster and His Photographs

1.Sources used for this article include city directories, censusrecords, cemetery records, court records, periodical articles, andscrapbooks which the author located in Cincinnati andPortsmouth. The Inland Rivers Library, Rare Books and SpecialCollections Department, Public Library of Cincinnati andHamilton County has a large number of Richard L. Hunster'sphotographs in the Fred Way Collection2. Captain Frederick Way, Jr., "Steamboat Pictures,"Waterways Journal, October 5, 1935, p. 6.3. George Swetnam, "He Never Misses a Boat: Capt. Fred WayHas Seen Lots of Water Going Down the Ohio River Since theDays He First Began to Collect Boat Pictures," Pittsburgh PressFamily Magazine, August 16, 1953, p. 9.

Palace Hotel. The city directories merely list him as alaborer during the last years of his life. On January 23,1928, Richard Hunster died in Cincinnati of a cerebralhemorrhage. He is buried in Union Baptist Cemetery.

What happened to the negatives ofRichard Hunster's steamboat pictures? No one hassatisfactorily answered this question. It has long beenspeculated that they were carted off to a dump. At thetime of his death, his brother Andrew was the onlymember of his immediate family who was still living,and there is the possibility that the negatives wereremoved to Portsmouth. However, this seems unlike-ly. According to the inventory of his estate, the onlyproperty listed as being appraised were some UnitedStates Postal Savings System Certificates of Depositvalued at $2,380.00. It is possible that he sold his pho-tographic equipment and negatives to obtain the cer-tificates of deposit. However, his negatives have notresurfaced making it appear highly probable that theywere discarded and destroyed.

The outstanding views of Cincinnatisteamboats which came from the camera of RichardL. Hunster record the work of a man who lovedsteamboats and felt compelled to record as many ofthem as possible on film. He probably never realizedit at the time, but he was visually capturing a piece ofCincinnati history that would not occur again.

In 1926 the last time CaptainWay saw him, Hunster wasworking as a porter at thePalace Hotel in downtownCincinnati. (CHS PhotographCollection)

Queen City Heritage

About 1912 he photographedthe Lucille Nowland justbelow the Central Bridgewhich was demolished in1992 and replaced with a newbridge. (From the collectionof the Public Library of

Cincinnati and HamiltonCounty)

Hunster occasionallyphotographed towboats suchas the Hercules Carrelpictured here at theCincinnati wharf. (From thecollection of the PublicLibrary of Cincinnati andHamilton County)

Summer/Fall 1999 Richard L. Hunster and His Photographs 43

Low water at the head ofMedoc Bar around 1910 laidup the City of Cincinnati.Medoc bar is on the Kentuckyside of the river just belowNorth Bend, Ohio. (From thecollection of the Public

Library of Cincinnati andHamilton County)

Hunster corresponded withFrederick Way, Jr. In aDecember 3, 1915 letterHunster included an additionto his list of "old time steam-ers." (From the Collection ofthe Public Library of

Cincinnatiand Hamilton County)

44 Queen City Heritage

^ f e - . . ••

— .He probably shot the firstIsland Queen in 1896, her firstseason, as she pulled awayfrom the foot of Vine Streeton her way to Coney Island.The white smoke seenbetween the smokestacks is

coming from the calliope.(From the collection of thePublic Library of Cincinnatiand Hamilton County)

Summer/Fall 1999 Richard L. Hunster and His Photographs 45

The Queen City was shot asshe headed up river toPittsburgh with the L & Nbridge in background.Hunster took a number ofphotographs from this loca-tion which is where Sawyer

Point is today. (From the col-lection of the Public Libraryof Cincinnati and HamiltonCounty)

About 1900 the Courier wasdocked at a wharfboat. Thebuilding in the center withthe cupola is the CincinnatiUnion Bethel, an organizationoriginally founded to give aidto rivermen. (From the collec-

tion of the Public Library ofCincinnati and HamiltonCounty)

Queen City Heritage

In 1909 the Bonanza dockedat the Cincinnati wharf toawait dismantling. (From thecollection of the PublicLibrary of Cincinnati andHamilton County)

A picture of the cabin of theBonanza taken in May 1897 isespecially sharp and evenshows the carpet pattern. Ifone looks at an original printof this scene, the image ofRichard Hunster can be seen

in the mirror at the rear of theroom. (From the collection ofthe Public Library ofCincinnati and HamiltonCounty)

Summer/Fall 1999 Richard L. Hunster and His Photographs 47

By looking at the calendar onthe wall one can determinethat this photograph of thepantry of the City ofLouisville was taken in June1897. (From the collection ofthe Public Library of

Cincinnati and HamiltonCounty)

48 Queen City Heritage

A close-up shot of theVirginia shows the pilothouseand texas about 1900. (Fromthe collection of the PublicLibrary of Cincinnati andHamilton County)

Summer/Fall 1999 Richard L. Hunster and His Photographs

The Indiana burned on May1, 1916. Its hull and machin-ery were later used in theconstruction of the Americawhich came out in 1917.(From the collection of thePublic Library of Cincinnatiand Hamilton County)

Hunster's photo shows theaftermath of the winter of1971/1918 when ice crushedthe City of Cincinnati (center)and the City of Louisville(right). The boat on the left isthe Queen City. (From thecollection of the Public

Library of Cincinnati andHamilton County)