Two generations of Rickert family photographers documented everyday life in Huntington in various ways — streetscapes, business interiors, wedding and engagement portraits, family gatherings, and the like. What we and the generations to come will understand about our small corner of the world will come from Rickert photos. Thousands of Rickert negatives have been given to the Huntington County History and Education Center, where they are being scanned as a permanent record.

Photography studios are often regarded as an important part of the social fabric of the communities they serve. Photography arrived on the Huntington business scene just after the Civil War, and its popularity increased as the public warmed to the idea of documenting not only people’s appearances, but family gatherings and similar significant occasions. Huntington had the good fortune to have been seen through Rickert lenses from 1912 until 1986, as William Rickert and later his son Robert operated the most successful studio in the city.

William Rickert was born in Wabash County and lived in North Manchester area when he got his first part-time studio job. He came to Huntington in 1912 when the opportunity arose to buy the DeCew Studio at 330 N. Jefferson St. Ross DeCew had been the most recent in a succession of owners that began with A.S. Kilby, who started producing tintypes there in 1866. Rickert’s studio was bathed — most days — in natural illumination through a skylight. In February 1920, Rickert moved his business a half-block south and east around the corner into the Opera Block, directly across Market Street from the then-new city post office.

Rickert was an innovator who purchased the latest in mercury-vapor lights to provide even more illumination flexibility than that afforded by the Jefferson Street studio’s skylight. Now able to operate in both good and bad weather, the studio’s business increased while advances in photographic technology resulted in smaller, lighter, portable cameras. Rickert Studio began selling Kodak consumer cameras and film, and also took care of the “finishing” process that produced prints and slides for his customers. The Rickert motto became, “We Photograph Anything” and it was no idle boast. As Huntington grew the studio prospered and by 1939, another move — one block east on Market Street — was necessary.

The new studio and camera shop had everything Rickert needed on one floor — retail sales space, offices, and a large area to accommodate new lights that could effectively duplicate natural light indoors. Through the years, Rickert Studio employed a number of assistants, including several family members. But it wasn’t until William’s youngest son, Robert, returned home in 1946 from three years in the Army Air Corps that a succession plan took shape.

Bob Rickert had been snapping pictures since his days with the Huntington High School student newspaper. He had expanded his knowledge about film and lighting technology while working for another photographic studio before World War II and jumped at the chance to partner with his father post-war. Bill Rickert minded the camera and photo equipment sales side of the operation as Bob assumed the mantle of photographer, then became sole owner of Rickert Studio when his father retired in 1962.

When plans were announced to replace the studio and nearby businesses with a new Indiana Bell office building and parking area, Bob Rickert purchased a run-down Victorian home in the 400 block of West Park Drive and renovated it in 1961. There he, his wife, Bette, and their three children moved into a combination residence and business. Later improvements installed color photo developing equipment in the basement and added a skylight area to the ground-floor portrait sitting room, complete with foliage backgrounds. This brought the option of natural light softness back to Rickert’s indoor photographs for the first time in a half-century.

Rickert Studio’s reputation for award-winning creative craftsmanship spread well beyond Huntington, and Bob found his services in demand in Fort Wayne and other nearby communities. At the same time, he continued to do commercial work for area businesses.

Bob Rickert’s restless intellect led him to study psychological counseling, and later in life he earned a master’s degree and was admitted to practice. In 1986, he sold his home and business, as well as the name “Rickert Studio,” ending a 74-year presence in the community under the family banner. In 1991, he opened a counseling service in southwest Fort Wayne, which he maintained for six years. He died in 2008.

For many years, when a Rickert behind the camera said “smile,” the people of Huntington did just that. And the visual record Rickert Studio left still elicits smiles … of recognition, recollection, and pride.