Louise Franziska Möllinger (1817–1880) was a pioneering German-born Swiss photographer who made significant contributions to the early history of Swiss visual arts. Active during the dawn of photography in the early 1840s, Möllinger is widely recognized as the first female photographer to have operated in Switzerland. She specialized in the daguerreotype process, capturing detailed images during a period when the technology was still in its infancy.
Beyond her technical skills behind the camera, Möllinger was a forward-thinking publisher. In 1844, she became the first practitioner in Switzerland to utilize lithography as a method for reproducing and publishing multiple copies of her landscape photographs. This innovative approach allowed her to share her scenic views of the Swiss countryside with a wider audience, marking a milestone in both Swiss photography and printmaking history.
