Vintage Photos Taken by Prokudin-Gorskii - First to Photograph in Color

[AlexP]

The first original photos that we know of are of Alexander II.  The first first photograph ever taken was in 1838 (aside: I've seen it personally, it is here in the collection of the Ransom Center at the Univ. of Texas). So, the first photos in Petersburg were probably sometime in the 1845 period or so.

Rob,

My memory fails me here almost completely so please help.

Nicholas and Alexander did have a private photographer that they used in Petersburg very regularly who made all of their little snapshots, so to speak, those cardboard-backed things that they sent out to their friends.

He has a German last name, that I remember for sure, and he was in downtown Petersburg, not in Tsarkoe Selo.  Perhaps this is somewhere here on the Board, I don't know.  His little paperbacked-cardboard things used to say "such and such, Photographers to His Sovereign Majesty etc."

Can anyone help me here?

Regards,

A.A.

[Lyss]

"The majority of the Tsarist Chronicles appeared due to the efforts of His Majesty's Photographer Aleksandr Karlovich Iagelskii (d. 1916), co-owner of the firm "C. E. de Hahn" (rendered in Russian, "K. E. von Gun"), which in 1887 had received virtually exclusive rights to photograph the tsar, his family, and the imperial court"

[Forum Admin]

There were actually two "official Imperial" photographers. Carl Hahn was the  more "personal" one who photographed official pictures of the IF's visits, comings, goings, etc. Boissonas & Eggler were the official photographers of the portraits of the IF. Before Nicholas II, the court photographer was Levitsky.

[AlexP]

There were actually two "official Imperial" photographers. Carl Hahn was the  more "personal" one who photographed official pictures of the IF's visits, comings, goings, etc. Boissonas & Eggler were the official photographers of the portraits of the IF. Before Nicholas II, the court photographer was Levitsky.

Yes, I think I was referring to Carl Hahn but correct me if I am wrong.  I have seen all of these little miniatures that would be signed by the IF and on the back there was this German name.  Thank you.

Do you have one of these with his address on the book?

Hikaru, Belochka, perhaps Macedonsky, do you know what his address in Piter used to be?

Thanks all.

With the best from Shanghai,


A.A.

[hikaru]

The first photographer of Alexandr II , I suppose, was Levitsky.
Hahn had several atelier, one of them was in the Tsarskoe Selo.

[Forum Admin]

Also, Bergamasco was an Imperial Court photographer, whose studio was bought by Boissonas & Eggler.  C.C. Bulla was also an Imperial Warrented Court photographer, again mostly of public appearances.

[Belochka]

The first daugerotype photograph in Imperial Russia was produced in 1841 by Iossif Veningera.

His first atel'ier was situated on Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa, No 12.

Images of St. Petersburg exist in the Hermitage collection dating from 1841.

Sergei  L'vovich Levitsky first obtained his camera in 1843.

In 1850 he opened his own store bearing the name Svetopis' on Kazanskaya Ulitsa, No 3. He was attributed to be the best photographer in St. P, and was awarded a Gold Medal at a Paris Exhibition for his efforts.

[Peterburburgskii Al'bom, 2002, p 9]

[Belochka]

I forgot to mention:

- shortly after the first innovative French daugerotype came into existence in 1839, it was Moscow that captured the first apparatus in Imperial Russia, in November, 1939. The store dedicated to artistic products was located on Kuznetski Most, and was operated by A. Bekkers.

Alex,

I shall try to locate the von Gan address for you  if I can ....  

[Belochka]

Do you have one of these with his address on the book?

Hikaru, Belochka, perhaps Macedonsky, do you know what his address in Piter used to be?

Hi Alex,

My Russian sources state that von Gan had his photographic studio in Moscow.  

[hikaru]

There was a Photoatelie and Film making atelia called "K.E. von Gan and Co." which was located in the Tsarskoe Selo. Gan had an exclusive right to make a films (documental) about Nicholas and all Romanov Family. Since 1900, they regularly made  documental films about the Family)

[Belochka]

The Photographic Society however does list Moscow as von Gan's principle location.

Just as Karl Bulla had a number of locations in St. P, the same situation must have prevailed for von Gan.

It certainly makes perfect sense that he was also based in Tsarskoe Selo.

[russianlover76]

Is Gozdiff is related to the Romanovs? Ihave a friend whose have that last name

[Melville]

Early colour foto experimenter. Nicolas II had P-G tour Russia photographing Samrkand, Siberia, all over. The Tsar gave him his own train car for a darkroom!

The Church of the Resurrection in St. Petersburg, in close to the original color:

http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/ppmsc/03900/03947v.jpg

Search page for the whole collection:

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/prokquery.html

subject index for the whole collection

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/prokhtml/proksubjindex1.html

"Home of the Romanovs in the Ipatevskii Monastery (from the left side). [Kostroma]"

http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/prok/02400/02485v.jpg

Home of the Romanovs in the Ipatevskii Monastery (from the right side). [Kostroma]
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/prok/02400/02484v.jpg

Can't find any fotos of the Imperial Family, but here is one of his fotos of this notable person--Leo Tolstoi!!

http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/prok/01900/01970v.jpg

[Mie]

This is kinda silly and stupid question but I ask it anyway...     'Couse IF did have formal photos of themselfes were they actually use in anywhere? I mean like they print it on a newspaper *a new imperialfamily photo* or did they send them to their relatives and familiar peoples...   Like mening of: "Here is my daughter Maria, isn't she beautifull, now will you marry her"..

Since I guess there was an hapit to peasants to have their tsar's photo on their wall(at least in Finland had that habit...)did they had also the tsarevitsh photo...    .. ... . .

[Sarushka]

Yes, the the formal photos were taken for both public and private use. NAOTMAA often signed and sent them to family members -- some formal photos from the collection of Irene of Prussia appear in The Jewel Album of Nicholas II. Others were framed and displayed in their private rooms. Alix had dozens in her Mauve Room, and Nicholas's desk was also littered with them. OTMA even took some into exile and pinned them to their bedroom wall in Tobolsk. If you look carefully, you can see formal photos on the walls and shelves in vintage photographs of the Alexander Palace.

I'm sure the photos were also used for publicity worldwide -- in newspapers, announcements, commemerative booklets, etc.