Charles F. Bretzman

His work includes portraits of notable individuals, such as Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley and Carl G. Fisher, a founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as photographs of the first Indianapolis 500 race in 1911 and other major events in the city's history. The German-born photographer came to the United States in 1885 and traveled across the country for a few years before settling in Indianapolis in 1900 and establishing a photography studio on South Illinois Street. In 1914 he expanded his business to larger quarters on the top floor of the Fletcher Savings and Trust Building. Bretzman's son, C. Noble, and grandson, Erich, also became professional photographers in the family business. The Bretzman Photo Company closed after nearly eighty years in operation when Noble retired from full-time photography in 1976. Bretzman Photo Company photographs are in the collections of the Indiana Historical Society and the Library of Congress, among others.

• Name — Charles F. Bretzman • Born — 26 July 1867 • Birthplace — Hanover, Germany • Died — 19 January 1934 • Place of death — Indianapolis, Indiana, US • Resting Place — Crown Hill Cemetery and Arboretum, Indianapolis, Indiana U.S. • Occupation — Photographer • Spouse — Catharine Bretzman (m. 1891–1904); Bertha (Grauel) Bretzman (m. 1905–1934) • Children — Two sons and four daughters

Charles F. Bretzman was born on July 26, 1866, in Hanover, Germany, and came to the United States in 1885 at the age of nineteen. Charles became a naturalized citizen of the United States at Chicago, Illinois, on October 4, 1892. Charles married his first wife, Catharine, in 1891; she died on May 23, 1904, at Indianapolis. Charles and his second wife, Bertha Grauel, were married on June 8, 1905, in Indianapolis. Charles Bretzman had two sons (Charles "Carl" F. and Charles Noble) and four daughters (Marie, Julia, Rosemary, and Bertha F.). Charles "Carl" F. Bretzman (–1958) the son of Charles and Catharine Bretzman, was born in Chicago and worked in his father's photography studio in Indianapolis before moving to the South; he worked as a professional photographer in the Mobile, Alabama-area. Charles Noble Bretzman (1909–1986), the son of Charles and Bertha G. Bretzman, became "one of the country's top photographers." A graduate of Shortridge High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, Noble began his career as a journeyman photographer in his father's Indianapolis studio. After high school graduation, Noble took photography classes at a school run by professional photographers at Winona Lake in Kosciusko County, Indiana, before relocating to the East Coast. In the early 1930s, when Noble was a professional photographer in New York City, he became the first public relations photographer for the Radio City Music Hall. Noble returned to Indianapolis after his father's death in 1934 to run the family's photography business. He specialized in portraits and commercial photography and brought a contemporary and distinctive photographic style to the city. In his later years, Noble became especially interested in photographing performance art, most notably ballet, and was a cofounding board member of Indianapolis's first professional ballet company and general manager of the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre. Noble also founded Bravo Project, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that encouraged Marion County, Indiana, youth in the performing arts.

In his early career, Charles Bretzman worked for several years in large photography companies in New York City and elsewhere in the Midwest and eastern United States. He also engaged in photographic work in Denver and Pueblo, Colorado, as well as other cities in the western United States to gain a broad knowledge of the photography business. By 1894 he had become a partner in Koehne and Bretzman, a photography company in Chicago, Illinois.

In an article appearing in the Indianapolis Star on February 9, 1920, Bretzman explained that he arrived in Indianapolis, on February 13, 1900, and worked as a staff photographer for three of Indianapolis's daily newspapers. His earliest photography studio in Indianapolis was located in the heart of the city's business district at that time, at 142 South Illinois Street, where he focused on portrait work and commercial photography. In 1905 Bretzman expanded his studio to larger quarters he had leased on two floors at 22 1/2 North Pennsylvania Street. It was during this time that Bretzman became the first official photographer of the Indianapolis 500-mile automobile race. Bretzman photographed the first Indianapolis 500 race on May 30, 1911, and continued in that role for several years. He also photographed other sporting events held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the years leading up to its first 500-mile automobile race. These events included a national balloon race held at the Speedway in June 1909, a three-day event in August 1909 that included motorcycle and automobile races, a three-day event in May 1910 that featured forty-two auto races covering distances ranging from five to 200 miles on the Speedway's new brick track, and the first national aviation meet at the Speedway in June 1910. In 1914 Bretzman relocated his photography business to the Fletcher Savings and Trust Building at 108 North Pennsylvania Street. He planned and designed the 4000 ft2 studio in leased space on the top floor of the newly constructed building. Bretzman believed that photography was "essential" and occupied "an important place in the progress of our business and social activities." He continued to be an active photographer in Indianapolis until his death in 1934. Bretzman was a cofounder and former president of the Indianapolis Photographers Association and a member of the Daguerre Club of Indiana.

The authorities additionally record the headings Charles Frederick Maximillian Martin Bretzman, Charles Frederick Bretzman and Charles Bretzman. One child is recorded: Noble Bretzman.