Gustav Alexander Tahl

On May 22, 1919, Magarethe Dora Meijer and Gustav Tahl tied the knot, from which four children were born: Margot, Friedel, Gerda and Elenore. After the marriage, Gustav Tahl, who was of Jewish descent, joined the Lutheran Church by conversion. He then moved to Osternburg to Ulmenstraße 9, where he opened his first photo store and a daylight studio under the name Fotohandlung für Kunst, Industrie und Gewerbe with great success. He later expanded this store property to include stores on Bremer Strasse and Heiligengeiststrasse.

Gustav Tahl, as a "rolling photographer," preferred to shoot pictures of natural idylls and captured special events on film, such as the visit of Reich President Hindenburg, to which he held exclusive rights. Industrial photography, which Tahl primarily pursued, enjoyed great popularity in Oldenburg in the first half of the 20th century. This interest was confirmed by the receipt of numerous commissions for photo documentaries and opening films of factories, joint-stock companies and wholesalers. Clients included the Wagenbauanstalt Oldenburg, the Bölts AG and the Oldenburg steam brickworks C. Dinklage. Due to the high demand for his photographs, Gustav Tahl set up another store in Bremer Strasse after opening his main branch in Ulmenstrasse 9. Shortly after the decision to expand, Tahl was also asked to manage the design of the cinema advertising at the Wall-Lichtspieltheater and the Wunderburglichtspiele in Osternburg. As the largest cinema in Oldenburg at the time, the Wall-Lichtspieltheater provided Tahl with exclusive and lucrative commissioned work. The frequent collaboration created  a sincere friendship with the director of the cinema, giving the family a permanent box seat in the cinema.

Most of Oldenburg's cinematic footage from the 1920s and 1930s came from Tahl's hand and was edited in his stores.

Tahl was able to run his main business without further conflict until 1933, when the SA discovered that he was a native Jew and boycotted his trading success. After Hitler's appointment as Reich Chancellor, an official discovered his baptismal record, which ultimately identified him as a Jew. As a result, Tahl's window panes at Ulmenstraße 9 were repeatedly smashed with stones. Due to these incidents, his wife requested protection for the business from the Gauleiter. He assured her of protective measures and ordered an SA guard to be posted in front of the store. However, the order not to let anyone in also applied to the owner Tahl himself, which meant that the Thal family could only secure themselves financially for a few months with the help of good friends. Coming under increasing pressure from the regime, the family planned to emigrate to America in 1935. In the end, however, they emigrated to Winschoten in the Netherlands.