As autumn air settled into Gallatin Valley during September of 1951, Violet Ohlsen arrived in Bozeman for a cordial visit. This was a visit on her mother’s behalf, so she hadn’t come empty-handed—Violet had brought a number of canvases with her from Washington, D.C. Emma Ohlsen, Bozeman’s beloved portrait photographer and a staple of the community for over twenty years, was suffering from failing health in the home she shared with Violet in Arlington, VA. In her stead, each canvas Violet carried was adorned with bright and elegant floral compositions that her mother had painstakingly worked over. The paintings exemplified Emma’s artistic spirit and allowing her a final visit to her beloved community in Bozeman.

Emma was born Claudia Emma Olsen on October 21, 1876, in Luzerne, Iowa. Her parents, Rasmus and Petra Olsen, met in Iowa after immigrating from Denmark in the 1860s. They had seven children on their humble Iowa farm, five of whom survived to adulthood. Not much is known about Emma’s youth, as her next appearance in records was her 1899 marriage to Henry Ohlsen, a German immigrant who had come to America almost twenty years earlier. The newlyweds settled in Dike, Iowa, where they lived with Henry’s mother. Henry supported the little family with managerial work at a lumberyard and, in January of 1903, they welcomed a daughter, Violet Elizabeth Ohlsen.

Despite the adjustment to life with a newborn, Henry still had larger aspirations. A friend of his had started a settlement on Cape Scott some twenty years earlier, and Henry fell in love with the region upon visiting. He became determined to establish his own settlement at a nearby bay and, in 1904, the entire Ohlsen family made the big move up north to San Josef Bay, BC, Canada.

“I was the only child around for miles,” recalled Violet in a 1954 interview as she recounted her early days in the settlement. Despite the remote location, families eventually came to settle with the promise of rich soil and beautiful views; San Josef Bay grew to around 100 families at its peak. Lack of opportunity, however, pushed many away, including Emma and Violet. Around 1915, Emma decided that the educational opportunities she wanted for Violet did not yet exist in San Josef and moved back to Iowa with her daughter. Henry remained in Canada with his mother, determined to see his settlement succeed.

Back in Waterloo, Iowa, Emma was now effectively a single mother in need of a way to support her daughter. So, she picked up photography. It seems that Emma was immediately gifted in the art of portraiture, moving to Minneapolis after just three years to pursue a larger market. In Minnesota, her business flourished. Her studio was profitable enough that Emma built a new, two-story building in which to house her business. Unfortunately, despite the business’ prosperity, Emma’s health began to deteriorate. Her doctor recommended that she move to a more favorable climate and, for the first time in her life, Emma had the freedom to do so. Violet was considering university options, her husband was still chasing his dreams in Canada, and Emma was able to consider only herself in opening the next chapter of her life.

Years earlier, several of Emma’s siblings settled in towns across Montana. Emma enjoyed traveling and had taken several trips to visit her siblings and their children over the years, feeling that the arid climate would better suit her health. During a 1924 visit to her sister, Mrs. Nettie Coffey, she made the acquaintance of Linfield Studios’ photographer Bertie Linfield. Starting that year, she assisted Linfield in his studio, Violet sometimes accompanying her. After numerous visits to Montana between 1924 and 1926, Emma made the difficult decision to shut down her Minneapolis studio and start anew in Bozeman.

In February of 1927, Bozeman newspapers gleefully announced that Mrs. Emma Ohlsen would be opening a portrait photography studio in town after operating her Minneapolis studio for over eight years. She found a suitable location in the Golden Rule Building above the Chambers & Fisher Company, advertising her new location as “next to the Ellen Theater.” Her work with Linfield meant she was already familiar to Bozeman’s clients as a skilled photographer, furthering anticipation for the studio’s imminent opening.

Ohlsen Studio opened on June 1st of the same year, with Emma seeing quick success. In addition to the black and white or sepia options offered by other Bozeman portrait photographers, Emma also included hand-colored and hand-tinted photo options. To give photos the colorful effect, a brush and paints was used to shade in the desired elements, allowing a more natural appearance and giving life to the people in the photos. These touchups ranged from a slight blush on the cheeks, making viewers question if they really saw it, to fully colored portraits, especially of children. With all the options she offered, Emma’s studio became a go-to for holiday gifts, special events, or general photography needs in the Gallatin Valley.

Emma’s time in Montana came with the opportunity to expand her social life, something she seemed keen to do. Her connections to the Coffey family made for fast friends in Bozeman and, quickly following her arrival, she was invited to many parties and luncheons that made newspaper social columns across the state. She joined clubs to further connect herself in the community, serving as a core member of the Bozeman Business and Professional Women’s Club for the more than twenty years she resided in Montana. Later, in 1937, Emma also became a founding member of the Photographic Association of Montana, acting as secretary for the group at the time of its formation. In announcements regarding this group’s formation, she was titled “Bozeman’s Woman Photographer,” a label indicative of Emma’s unique position as a woman in the male-dominated field. She also worked as a judge for state beauty pageants along with other photographers, appearing on a panel with Bertie Linfield and Fred Schlechten in 1937. Especially during her later years in Bozeman, time spent at these clubs became a significant part of her life.

In addition to her community connections, Emma took on several advertisement campaigns that bolstered her business acumen and helped put Ohlsen Studio on the map. More free promotion came with national awards and recognition of Emma’s photographic talent in 1924, 1930, and 1939, culminating in her biography being printed in the 1943 Who’s Who in American Portrait Photography. Her success allowed her to move studio locations in 1941 to a larger suite on the Nevitt Block. These accolades opened opportunities for Emma to serve as a primary photographer for the Bozeman Courier, where she and the Schlechten Brothers lent their talents throughout the 1930s.

Emma’s time running Ohlsen Studios reached its close when, in June of 1946, the Bozeman Courier announced that the studio would be sold to a couple by the name of Menello as Emma prepared to move across the country. Her health had started to deteriorate, and she wanted to live closer to her daughter in Washington, D.C. In April 1947, Violet wrote to the Courier informing Bozeman that her mother was well and enjoying her retirement with a new oil painting hobby. Painting became increasingly important to Emma after a series of health complications, including a stroke, resulted in significant disabilities. As always, Emma found comfort in her craft. She continued to work on her painting technique and compositions in oil as she directed her artistic intuition toward the new medium.

With that, we return to Violet in the autumn of 1951, canvases in tow, making her way to the Baxter Hotel in downtown Bozeman. She had arranged to exhibit her mother’s work while she was in town, hoping to pass along a “personal greeting to her [Emma’s] many Bozeman friends.” Walking into the Baxter Hotel during this display, Bozemanites were greeted with bright, elegantly composed florals reminiscent of the portraits many still had hanging in their homes. Violet came with the news that Emma, even in poor health, was receiving recognition nationally with several blue-ribbon awards at the Golden Age Hobby Show held at the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Professionals from a gallery in D.C. reportedly encouraged Emma’s work, noting her potential to make a lasting impression in the art world. Emma Ohlsen passed during the summer of 1960 in Arlington, Virginia, at the age of 83 with Violet, caring as always, at her side. Newspapers across Montana printed her obituary, and Violet continued writing letters to the clubs and friends her mother held in such high regard.   

Markita Williams is a lifelong Bozeman resident and MSU graduate with degrees in English writing and liberal studies. She spent the early months of 2024 studying art history in Brno, Czech Republic, before joining the Gallatin History Museum team in August.