Peter W. Häberlin (1912-1953) was an unusual man. Family duty initially pushed him into an apprenticeship as a pastry maker but, after doing his military service, he realised that his homeland, Switzerland, was too small for him and photography became his future.
After returning home following his first trip, Häberlin studied sculpture and photography in Hamburg before World War II forced him to move to Zurich and its applied arts school. There, he studied under Hans Finsler, who organised the Zurich school's photography course in 1932 and ran it until 1957.
After leaving the school, Häberlin started contributing to Zurich-based magazine Du, which at the time was publishing photographs by Werner Bischof, René Groebli and Otto Pfenniger. Although marked by prolonged absences, this job is the only one that has left specific traces in his archives — an indication of his restlessness.


This Swiss photographer had little interest in the systematic pursuit of professional success, at least as it is normally seen by many


Sahara. Peter W. Häberlin. Fotografie 1949-1952
Villa Ciani, Parco Civico
Lugano, Switzerland
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