Link to:
Work Locations | Samples | Sources
Born at Trieste, Italy, son of William Hunter and Caterina Jegher, he apprenticed in photography at Trieste then he moved to Leipzig, Germany where he indulged an interest in hypnosis by attending the Institute of Hypnosis. In 1931, he emigrated to Canada and arrived at Winnipeg where he opened the first portrait studio in the Hudson’s Bay Company’s flagship department store. He organized a series of city-wide baby photo contests and was the first in Manitoba to offer full wedding coverage. During the Second World War, he set up the RCMP (Winnipeg Division) Studio and was a Reserve RCMP Officer, later serving as President of the RCMP Veterans’ Association (1975-1976). In 1958, he married fellow photographer and artist Jean Robbins Kroeger (1919-2014) and they established a studio in their home by the Assiniboine River. A popular convention speaker, he was a member of the Winnipeg Rotary Club, Masons (Three Pillars Lodge), and Khartum Shriners. He was a life member of the Professional Photographers’ Association of Manitoba and, in 1949, was the first Manitoban to be made a member of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain. An early cottage owner near St. Laurent, he organized the Twin Beaches Improvement Association. He died at Winnipeg on 4 May 1988.
Year(s)
Address
1931-1960s
Hudson’s Bay Company Photo Studio [450 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg]
?-?
2176 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg
No information.
“Paul W. Hunter gets high honor,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 November 1949, page 3.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 8 May 1988, page 22.
Obituary [Jean Hunter], Winnipeg Free Press, 27 September 2014.
We thank Frances Kasper for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 12 October 2014
Manitoba Photographers: 1858 to Present
A list of professional photographers who have worked in Manitoba, from 1858 to the present, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society.
© 2006-2023
Gordon Goldsborough & Manitoba Historical Society. All rights reserved.
