Arhivski vjesnik, Vol. 56 No. 1, 2013.
Original scientific paper
Analysing the Contents of Photographs in ihe Preserved Copies of the First Croatian Photo Monograph “Photographic Pictures From Dalmatia, Croatia And Slavonia”
Hrvoje Gržina
; Hrvatski državni arhiv
Abstract
The book “Photographic pictures from Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia” by Zagreb’s photographer Ivan Standl is undoubtedly one of the most important and most valued achievements of the early Croatian photography. Since its release in 1870 the value and significance of the book has been emphasized not only by Standl’s contemporaries, but also by various researches of Croatian photographic and cultural history. Its excellence was also recognized on the 1873 international exhibition in London where the author received an award for one of the later editions. Compared to the later similar achievements with the photo-mechanic printed illustrations, this first Croatian photo monograph illustrated with handmade photographs by the author and with texts by the eminent cultural figures of the time led by Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski is distinguished not only by the small number of copies, but also by the fact that the original author’s photographs conditioned uniqueness of every single copy. After analysing the contents of many known copies of Standl’s photo monograph it is possible to say with certainty that every book is a unique author’s statement visible through his choice of motives, cut-out of the photographs during the making of prints out of negatives, as well as their arrangement between the pages of the text during the binding, which vary from one copy i.e. edition to the next. The value of this first Croatian photo monograph is enhanced by the fact that every preserved copy represents unique item of the kind, with the unique choice of motives and their final presentation.
Keywords
Ivan Standl; photo monograph; book; edition
Hrčak ID:
117262
URI
Publication date:
11.12.2013.
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