DOI Heft:
Nr. 2
DOI Artikel:Jackiewicz, Danuta: The art of photography: portrait, landscape and reportage in Polish 19th century photography
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18940#0060
8. Karol Beyer, Fair Ln the Old Town Market Square in Warsaw, c. 1855—59
raits of victims of a demonstration in Warsaw on February 27, 1861 These images of five
bcdies with mortal wounds exposed, moving evidence of the tsarist troops' violent treat-
ment of Warsaw's defenceless population, also come from Karol Beycr's studio. In the same
year, 1861, Beyer recorded many patriotic demonstrations in Warsaw, for example, the Corpus
Christi procession (a series of photos sliowing crowds in Krakow-skie Przedmieście street) and the
funeral of Archbishop Antoni Fijałkowski. In 1863, during the national liberation uprising, Beyer
photographed deserted streets of Warsaw with tents put up by tsarist troops. The latter have
the character of conspiratorial photogra.phs taken secretly from the Windows of nearby houses.
For his patriotic attitude in 1861—63, Beyer was imprisoned and sentenced to exile in Siberia.
Another photographer w;th a reporter's flair in his early works was Konrad Brandel. Photographs
of a tight rope dancer in the Mokotów Meadows in 1865, the dismantling of the Holy Cross mona-
stery at Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw in 1865, the yard of the Warsaw—Vienna railway
following a fire in March 1867, and a bridge destroyed by floating ice in 1874 — all are evidence
of the journalistic character of his Work. It Was this instinct of the reporter that led him in 1883
to design a light, handy, portable instantaneous camera, known at the time as the photo-revolver.
When on June 28—30, 1887 he photographed events accompanying the visit of the Archduke
Rudolf of Habsburg to Cracow, the quality of the wholc series of pictures was excellent thanks
to this camera that he had kept improving. Konrad Brandel was particularly active throughout
the 1890's: apart from official occasions, he recorded everyday life in the city, in its suburbs,
race courses, on the river banks — a specific documentation of Warsaw in the late 19th ccntury.
Konrad Brandel was the first major Polish photojournalist and his pictures appeared in the press
between 1866 and the end of the century. Perpetuating official occasions in phótos became wi-
49
raits of victims of a demonstration in Warsaw on February 27, 1861 These images of five
bcdies with mortal wounds exposed, moving evidence of the tsarist troops' violent treat-
ment of Warsaw's defenceless population, also come from Karol Beycr's studio. In the same
year, 1861, Beyer recorded many patriotic demonstrations in Warsaw, for example, the Corpus
Christi procession (a series of photos sliowing crowds in Krakow-skie Przedmieście street) and the
funeral of Archbishop Antoni Fijałkowski. In 1863, during the national liberation uprising, Beyer
photographed deserted streets of Warsaw with tents put up by tsarist troops. The latter have
the character of conspiratorial photogra.phs taken secretly from the Windows of nearby houses.
For his patriotic attitude in 1861—63, Beyer was imprisoned and sentenced to exile in Siberia.
Another photographer w;th a reporter's flair in his early works was Konrad Brandel. Photographs
of a tight rope dancer in the Mokotów Meadows in 1865, the dismantling of the Holy Cross mona-
stery at Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw in 1865, the yard of the Warsaw—Vienna railway
following a fire in March 1867, and a bridge destroyed by floating ice in 1874 — all are evidence
of the journalistic character of his Work. It Was this instinct of the reporter that led him in 1883
to design a light, handy, portable instantaneous camera, known at the time as the photo-revolver.
When on June 28—30, 1887 he photographed events accompanying the visit of the Archduke
Rudolf of Habsburg to Cracow, the quality of the wholc series of pictures was excellent thanks
to this camera that he had kept improving. Konrad Brandel was particularly active throughout
the 1890's: apart from official occasions, he recorded everyday life in the city, in its suburbs,
race courses, on the river banks — a specific documentation of Warsaw in the late 19th ccntury.
Konrad Brandel was the first major Polish photojournalist and his pictures appeared in the press
between 1866 and the end of the century. Perpetuating official occasions in phótos became wi-
49