Gunnar_Lönnqvist
Arthur Gunnar Lönnqvist (4 January 1891 Helsinki – 26 December 1978 Helsinki) was a Finnish photographer and businessman.[1][2]
Lönnqvist started his career as an atelier photographer, but soon turned into amateur photography.[1][2] He photographed his home city Helsinki and the surrounding countryside's landscapes and people.[1][3] Lönnqvist also photographed in other Finnish cities and during his travels in Europe.[1] He is known especially of photographs taken during the battle of Helsinki in the Finnish Civil War in April 1918. Lönnqvist has won several photography awards in Finland and abroad.[1][2]
Lönnqvist was involved in amateur photography already as a young man. After he finished school he started working in 1904 at photographer Daniel Nyblin's camera accessories shop Suomen Valokuvaustarvikekauppa (Ab Finska Fotografiska Magasinet in Swedish).[1][2][3] Lönnqvist began work as an office clerk, copyist and photographic assistant and also served as the head of the photograph laboratory.[1] In the year 1915 he married Ida Järvenpää (1893–1970).[2] They had 6 children.[2] In 1919 Lönnqvist became the procurator at Suomen Valokuvaustarvikekauppa and later in the 1920s he became the company's managing director.[1] In 1933 Lönnqvist founded the company Oy Valovarjo Ab[1][2][3] and was engaged as the managing director until the age of 75.[1] The company became the head agency for Kodak-products in Finland.[1][2][3]
Beginning from the year 1909 Lönnqvist was actively involved in the Amatörfotografklubben photograph club.[1][2] He was awarded the club's honorary membership.[1][2]
- At the ruins of Turku barracks in Helsinki 17.4.1918.
- White general staff on a parade at Esplanadi in Helsinki 16.5.1918.