This is a collection of photographs, mainly taken outdoors, capturing the historical changes in the architectural – and partly natural – environment, the image of a settlement and its characteristic buildings. The earliest are photographs of towns along the Danube by Ede Heidenhaus in the 1850s. In addition to the most renowned photographers such as Amand Helm, Ferenc Veress, Ferenc Kozmata, György Klösz, Rudolf Balogh, Ernő Vadas, the collection includes photographs by unknown amateurs of historical Hungarian settlements or cities abroad.
The collection also includes the most complete Rosti album (1858) of Central and South American photographs by its creator, and a number of Hungarian travel souvenirs and photo-illustrations made for the booming tourism industry from the end of the 19th century. And a collection of photographs by the Képzőművészeti Alap Kiadóvállalat (Fine Arts Fund Publishing Company) preserves the image of Hungarian settlements from the second half of the 20th century.
Contact: Éva Fisli, fisli.eva@hnm.hu Tel.
The picture is a photograph from one of the pages of Paul Rosti's photo album, once a gift to his sister Anna, and the most complete of the five versions we know about today. In late February 1859, Rosti donated one of his albums of his travels in Central and South America to the Museum of the Nation, presenting the first photographic object to Director Ágoston Kubinyi.
Little is known about Heidenhaus' life. He considered himself a painter and photographer, and had a studio in Buda between 1859 and 1870, and by 1880 he was already working in Vienna. His photographs of the capital from 1858-59 are among the oldest of Budapest on paper in Hungarian public collections. The gas lamps on the Chain Bridge, which were in operation from November 1859, are clearly visible. A few years after the photo had been taken, the bridge itself became one of the most photographed landmarks of Budapest on her way to become a metropolis.
Rudolf Balogh (1879–1944), the person today's most prestigious photography prize was named after, opened his first studio in Budapest in 1903; in 1914 he launched the journal Fotóművészet (Photography), which was short-lived due to the war. Balogh later became a war correspondent, a contributor to the Est newspaper group and an important figure in amateur movements. His series on the quays of Pest is an exciting visual document of the coexistence of the capital and the Danube.
The Raichle Palace is an exceptional example of Hungarian Art Nouveau. The designer and builder was Ferenc Raichle (1869–1960), who attached great importance to the play of sunlight and shadow in the design of the building decorated with folk art motifs. Raichle chose one of the most beautiful spots in the city of Szabadka (today: Subotica, Serbia) in its heyday, opposite the railway station, which was then the most elegant site in the city. Completed by 1904, the bankrupt architect and entrepreneur had already moved out of the palace by the time this photo was taken thanks to architect and building entrepreneur Károly Divald Jr. and György Monostory, a market leader in the postcard business at the turn of the century. The company's employees visited hundreds of small towns and villages, photographing squares, streets and landmark buildings. In addition to documenting the built environment, the photographs are also interesting for the people they show.
John Albok, born János Albók (1894 – 1982), a New York tailor, amateur filmmaker and photographer from Munkács, Hungary, is known for both of his American cityscapes and portrays of Hungarian emigrants.
Thermal water was discovered in Hajdszoboszló in 1925. The spa, which was built in the following decades and is still in operation today, is one of Hungary's most popular tourist attractions. The colour picture is a private photo taken in the 1980s. The bird's-eye view shows bathers enjoying the thermal water, the slide and the colourful sunbeds.
