Sturlason AS Polyfoto

Sturlason AS Polyfoto is a Norwegian photography company based in Oslo. Established in 1933 by photographer Svein Abraham Sturlason, it developed from a low-cost portrait studio into a multigenerational photographic enterprise active in portraiture, press photography, theatre documentation, film production, and archival work. The business takes its name from the Polyfoto format, an economical portrait service that produced 48 small images on a single photographic plate. The format made studio portraits more accessible to the public, although its industrialized approach initially attracted criticism from photographers who favored more conventional portrait practice. Sturlason was trained as a photographer and, before founding the company, worked with established Oslo photographers including Ernest Rude and Gunnar Theodor Sjøwall. The original Polyfoto studio operated in the Morgenbladet building in central Oslo. During the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War, the studio and laboratory also supported resistance activity. Sturlason, who used the codename Dr. X, helped produce clandestine materials including microfilm while continuing to serve civilian and German customers. This access enabled him to obtain photographic supplies, and his wartime contribution was later recognized with the Norwegian Defense Medal. Following the war, the company expanded beyond studio portraiture. Sturlason acquired Myres Pressebyrå and created a press agency that became one of Norway's significant photographic news operations. Its work covered national events, theatre productions, sport, royal ceremonies, and other public subjects, with imagery also distributed through international partners. At its largest, the organization employed more than 50 people and served as a training ground for many Norwegian professional photographers. Its theatre work became particularly important: the company documented more than 2,150 stage productions between 1942 and 1980. The company was also connected with Norwegian feature-film production through Snorre Film, which produced films including Bør Børson and Englandsfarere. This broadened Sturlason's role from still photography into the wider visual culture of twentieth-century Norway. Leadership passed to the second generation in 1972, when Svein Sturlason, the founder's son, took over and redirected the company toward portrait photography. The press agency was closed in 1979. During the 1980s and 1990s, Inger Sturlason developed the wedding and family portrait business. In 2009, Espen Sturlason became the third-generation leader and guided the company through the transition from analogue to digital photography. He had also participated in the official photography team for the 2001 wedding of Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit. A major part of the company's continuing significance is its historical archive, which contains more than one million images documenting Norwegian society, culture, public life, and personalities. The archive was reopened in 2010 and subsequently transferred to the National Archives of Norway with support from the Arts Council Norway and the Fritt Ord Foundation. Gabriele Sturlason has led digitization work associated with Polyfoto Vintage, helping convert the collection into a more accessible historical resource. Selected archive images were exhibited at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2016. Today, Sturlason operates primarily as a photography service business, with portrait, curriculum-vitae, press-related, and theatre-oriented capabilities, while its archive and digitization activities connect the company to Norway's cultural heritage sector. Its locations have changed over time, including earlier premises in Roald Amundsens gate, Stortingsgaten, and Skovveien. The current Oslo studio is in Tordenskiolds gate, with an additional location in Asker.

Sturlason AS Polyfoto was founded in Oslo in 1933 by Svein Abraham Sturlason, a photographer from Tønsberg who had completed an apprenticeship and worked with established photographers in the capital. The early business was built around the Polyfoto method, which placed 48 small portraits on one photographic plate. By reducing the cost of individual portraits, the system brought studio photography to a broader public, though traditional photographers criticized its standardized, mass-production character. The company acquired an unusual wartime role. During the German occupation of Norway, Sturlason operated under the resistance codename Dr. X and used the studio and laboratory to produce illegal materials, including microfilm. He continued serving civilian and German customers, which gave him access to photographic materials and helped conceal his resistance activity. After liberation, the Norwegian state recognized his contribution with the Norwegian Defense Medal. The postwar company became more diversified. Sturlason acquired Myres Pressebyrå and formed a press agency that documented national events, theatre, sport, royal ceremonies, and public life. Its work was also made available through international distribution relationships. At its peak, the organization employed over 50 people and helped train a substantial number of Norwegian photographers. Theatre became one of its most enduring specialties: the company recorded more than 2,150 productions from 1942 to 1980. Sturlason also entered feature-film production through Snorre Film. The production company was associated with Norwegian films including Bør Børson and Englandsfarere, extending the family enterprise into moving-image production as well as still photography. In 1972, Svein Sturlason, the founder's son, assumed control. He reorganized the business toward portrait work, and the press agency was closed in 1979. Inger Sturlason contributed to the portrait business through wedding and family photography during the 1980s and 1990s. The company remained a family enterprise when Espen Sturlason became its third-generation leader in 2009. He directed the transition to digital photography and had earlier served on the official photographic team for the 2001 royal wedding of Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit. The company's archive is central to its cultural importance. It contains more than one million historical photographs relating to Norwegian history and public life. The archive was reopened in 2010 and subsequently transferred to the National Archives of Norway, with support from the Arts Council Norway and Fritt Ord. Gabriele Sturlason has led digitization work under the Polyfoto Vintage name. In 2016, selected images were exhibited at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The company has occupied several central Oslo premises, including locations in Roald Amundsens gate, Stortingsgaten, and Skovveien. Its current Oslo studio is in Tordenskiolds gate 12, and it also has a location in Asker. The modern business combines portrait and professional photography with cultural documentation, archival preservation, and digitization.

• 2016

  Polyfoto Vintage exhibition in London

  [1]Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org

  Selected images from the digitized historical collection were exhibited at the Royal Albert Hall.

• 2010

  Archive preservation initiative

  [1]Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org

  The historical archive was reopened and later transferred to the National Archives of Norway with institutional support.

• 2009

  Third-generation leadership

  [1]Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org

  Espen Sturlason became the third-generation leader and oversaw the company's digital transition.

• 2001

  Royal wedding photography

  [1]Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org

  Espen Sturlason participated in the official photography team for the wedding of Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit.

• 1979

  Press agency closed

  [1]Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org

  The press agency was discontinued as the company concentrated on portrait services.

• 1972

  Second-generation succession

  [1]Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org

  Svein Sturlason took over the family business and later refocused it on portrait photography.

• 1945

  Postwar press-agency expansion

  [1]Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org

  After the war, Sturlason acquired Myres Pressebyrå and expanded into organized press photography.

• 1942

  Theatre documentation begins

  [1]Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org

  The company documented stage productions over a period that ultimately covered more than 2,150 performances and productions through 1980.

• 1933

  Company founded in Oslo

  [1]Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org

  Svein Abraham Sturlason became manager of a new Polyfoto studio in the Morgenbladet building and established the business that became Sturlason AS Polyfoto.

A longstanding Norwegian photography institution combining commercial portrait services with professional documentation, cultural photography, and stewardship of a major national visual archive.

• Portrait photography · 1933

  Polyfoto portraits

  The original Polyfoto service produced 48 small portraits on a single photographic plate. Its standardized format reduced the cost of studio portraits and helped make professional photography accessible to a mass audience in Norway. Although the method was controversial among some traditional photographers, it became the foundation of the company's early identity and name.

• Professional photography

  Portrait and CV photography

  Portrait photography became the company's principal commercial focus after the second-generation reorganization. The modern service includes personal portraits and professional headshots intended for curriculum vitae, business profiles, and other public-facing uses.

• Social photography · 1980

  Wedding and family photography

  Inger Sturlason developed wedding and family portrait work during the 1980s and 1990s. This line extended the company's portrait expertise into milestone events and private family documentation.

• Editorial photography · 1945

  Press photography

  Through its postwar press agency, the company photographed national events, sport, theatre, royal ceremonies, and other public subjects. The press operation was one of the company's largest expansions but was closed in 1979.

• Cultural documentation · 1942

  Theatre photography archive

  Sturlason documented more than 2,150 stage productions between 1942 and 1980. The resulting body of work records Norwegian theatrical production, performers, sets, and cultural life across several decades.

• Historical archive and digitization · 2010

  Polyfoto Vintage

  Polyfoto Vintage is the name associated with the preservation and digitization of the company's historical photographic collection. The archive contains more than one million images and has been connected with the National Archives of Norway and public exhibitions.

• 2010

  Reopening and institutional preservation of the image archiveOther

  Background

  The company held a historical collection of more than one million images documenting Norwegian visual history.

  Action taken

  The archive was reopened and later transferred to the National Archives of Norway, with support from the Arts Council Norway and Fritt Ord.

  Aftermath

  The collection gained a stronger preservation and public-access framework, including digitization under the Polyfoto Vintage name.

  Source

• 2009

  Transition to digital photographyStrategy

  Background

  The company entered a third generation of family leadership during a period when photographic production and distribution were moving from analogue processes to digital workflows.

  Action taken

  Espen Sturlason oversaw the company's transition to digital photography.

  Aftermath

  The business continued its portrait and professional photography activities while developing stronger links with digital archival work.

  Source

• 1979

  Closure of the press agencyStrategy

  Background

  The company's postwar press agency had become a substantial operation, but the business was subsequently reorganized around portrait photography.

  Action taken

  Sturlason closed its press agency.

  Aftermath

  The company concentrated its commercial activities on portraiture while its earlier press and theatre work remained important in the historical archive.

  Source

• 1972

  Refocus on portrait photographyStrategy

  Background

  After the founder's son assumed control, the family business reorganized its activities around portrait photography rather than maintaining the full breadth of its earlier press operations.

  Action taken

  Svein Sturlason redirected the company toward portrait services, with the press agency later closed in 1979.

  Aftermath

  The company continued as a portrait-centered photography business while retaining its historical and cultural photography legacy.

  Source

1. 1Sturlason AS Polyfotoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sturlason AS Polyfoto official websitesturlason.no