The Collection of Photographs, Photographic Equipment and Postcards

Open Image Gallery

The Historical Origins of the Collection

The Collection of Photographs, Photograpic Equipment and Postcards was founded immediately after the founding of the Museum itself, in 1907, when the Museum obtained its first stereoscopic, dioramic positives and negatives, photographs and postcards. Studio, amateur and tradesmen’s photographs are dominant.

A second stimulus, resulting in the expansions of the collection, was given by the Cultural and Historical Exhibition of the City of Zagreb, in 1925, when the Museum was given significant photographic albums by Ludwig Schwoiser, Ivan Standl, Hermann Fickert, Ivan Varga, Otto Dasch, Hinko Krapek, I. Dryjak, Rudolf Mosinger and Lavoslav Breyer.

The Collection took on new dimensions between 1928 and 1943 during the time Gjuro Szabo was director of the museum, with the accession of new work and documentary photographs.

In 1953 the Museum set up its own photographic section (run by Vladimir Guteša from 1953 to 1961, by Josip Vranić from 1961 to 2000, and from 2000 by Miljenko Gregl), which gathers and makes photographic documents about old Zagreb and its current life and development, as well as about the events in and around the Museum. The historical collection has gradually developed into an up-to-date and contemporary collection, with current, journalistic and art photography becoming increasingly dominant.

During time, the Collection has gradually been enriched with bequests, gifts and purchases.

Collection manager:

mr. sc. Dubravka Zaninović Stančec

senior curator and documentarist

dstancec@mgz.hr

The City of Zagreb and its Environs

Today the Collection of Photographs, Photographic Equipment and Postcards guards the visual memory of the city of Zagreb. Photographs are categorised according to the following thematic units:

streets and squares
parks and lakes
panoramic views of the city
secular and sacral buildings
public monuments, graffiti
Medvednica
Zagreb surroundings

Gjuro Varga, Jelačić Square before the 1880 Earthquake, tinted photograph, 16 x 23.5 cm, ca 1880, MGZ fot. 5086

Events

Photographs are categorised according to the following thematic units:

culture and media (museums, galleries, theaters, cinemas, television)
education and science
health care
sport
economy
public city services and utility services
life of the city
events: economic events (Zagreb Fair), art exhibitions, carnivals, processions, feasts, celebrations, anniversaries, conferences, strikes, accidents, disasters, funerals, political events (meetings, visits of statesmen)