The development of the issue of the Museum of Photography in Hungary
1862–1991
The first thought of the museal housing of photographs first occurred in 1862. Ferenc Veress, a photographer from Kolozsvár appealed to the photographers of the nation in the columns of “Ország Tükre”: “Our photographers could make a great deed to our home, if they handed albums of exposed and collected pictures of less or more acknowledged personalities on the fields of science, arts, industry and trade to the museums of our country. I have had this thought in my mind for years, and I will start the realization this year. My aim namely is the following…to take photographs of individuals, without regard to nationality, religion and sex, who were acknowledged through their spiritual or material talent, by their tributes, may they be working on the fields of literature, arts, commerce or industry...
Another great deed the national photography could make to its history is to take photographs of antiquities, fortresses, castles, church ruins, caves, which still are standing, but which may disappear within a decade, in order to immortalize them for a future era.”
The idea was just partially realized.
1874 The first daguerreotype appears in the Hungarian National Museum.
1880. May 1st – the first national Amateur Photographic Exhibition opens up in the old Műcsarnok
(Kunsthalle). The organizers intend the exhibited material to form the bases for the photo-museum. If this
idea were realized, our photo-history could be possessing a unique comparative picture material –wrote Imre
Fejős in “Fotó” 1957, issue 8.
1895 at the organization of the millenium exhibition Ferenc Veress once again suggests to the
preparing committee, to ask the around 400 active professional Hungarian photographers to record the
landscapes, monuments and all famous personalities of the country. He also suggests that after this material
was exhibited, it shall become museum property.
The idea was not materialized.
since 1915 Ervin Kankowszky has been dealing with the issue of the photographic museum,
commissioned by MAOSZ (Hungarian Amateur-photographers National League).
1921 in November an article was published, saying: “Károly Hirsch, József Amster, Dénes Rónai,
Adolf Váradi and Pál Kis colleagues donated pictures to the photographic museum.”
1925 The 24th issue of “Magyar Fotográfia” hastens the foundation of a public museum, referring to
the photographic department of the Deutsches Museum in München.
1929 The 11th issue of “Magyar Fotográfia” Miksa Gárdonyi, the head of the Archeological Museum
appeals to the “Hungarian photographer society”, in which he publishes the order of the Budapest
Photographers Craft-union, according to which the recordings of world-famous Hungarian photo-historical
memories shall be housed within the frames of the Archeological Museum.
1934 In the 12th issue of “Magyar Fotográfia” Simon Neuberger, elderly master of photography writes
the following: „Now there is still a chance to collect instruments, tools of museal connotation,… machines,
halve-ready and ready products, silhouettes, daguerreotypes for a few cents, or even for free for the sake of
putting down the basis of a photographic museum. I know well, that our biggest headaches come from the
struggle for our everyday bread, but I still find this struggling generation to be obliged to the upcoming
generation, to save and preserve the yet available objects of memory, before they decay.
Lets put down the stones of the photographic museum.”
1935 in August Ervin Kankowszky informs the photographers about the state of the organization
of a photographic museum. Both the general assembly of MAOSZ 1935, and the general assembly of EMAOSZ (United
Hungarian Amateur-photographers National League) 1937 deals with the plans.
1937 in April Pál Veres A, the president of the Budapest Photographers Craft-union raises the
necessity of a photo-museum, “Our profession is hundred years old, and has acquired so much fame in the world
for the Hungarian nation, that its glorious past shall be immortalized on the walls of a museum.”
1939 István Kerny and Ervin Kankowszky begin with the collection of the material for the
Hungarian Museum of Photography, and with the preparation of proper storing conditions.
In July the plans of a Hungarian Photo-museum by Ernő Gyimesi-Kásás are published for the first time in the
paper “Magyar Fényképész”.
August- Ernő Gyimesi-Kásás writes the following in “Magyar Fényképész”: “The plan of the Hungarian photo-
museum was materialized. The material of the museum is collected at the editorial (Bp. IV. Semsey Andor u.
5.) or the publisher office (Bp. VII. Erzsébet krt. 43. II.) of the official paper of the Budapest
Photographers and Photoenlargers Craft-union, the Magyar Fényképész. Further information from Ernő Gyimes-
Kásás.”
According to the “Magyar Fényképész” issue published on December 25thth “Also the foundation of the Hungarian
Photo-museum was realized throughout this year. Our editor collected the image-material, who on the September
25thth officially announced the foundation of the museum. Throuh his good office Koller, Adolf Szenes, Oszkár
Kallós, honorary president and Angelo offered their collection of uncountable value to fill a whole chamber.
As well Aladár Székely, László Székely, Dénes Rónai, Géza Ryba. and many others contributed with highly
valuable material.”
1941. January 1st Within the walls of EMAOSZ Ervin Kankowszky and István Kerny founded the Hungarian Photo-museum, which was
neither an independent organization, nor did it have its separate residence.
In May Ervin Kankowszky made an appeal to donate old photographs and objects to the Photo-museum of EMAOSZ.
The issue of “Magyar Fényképész” published in July reports the following: „Preceding the stretch-limitation
of our paper we have dealt enough with the foundation of the Hungarian photo-museum and with the gathering of
material...Several masters have offered collections of extraordinary value. Not only exposures, but original
daguerreotypes, statues and medals have we acquired. The material will be stored in appropriate cupboards
within our craft-union.”
In August Kálmán Boronkay wrote the following in the name of the craft-union: „We already put down the stones
of the photo-museum.”
1942 April - according to Kerny’s and Kankowszky’s report there are 3199 objects and 950 books
registered in the Hungarian Photo-museum.
1943 in January - the First Hungarian National Trade Press Exhibition is organized in Budapest. The
Within the confines of the exhibition for the first time the pictures of the collection were shown to the
public. At the same time Ernő Gyimesi-Kásás’s appeal is published, asking for help to increase the material
of the Hungarian Photo-museum. This museum, similarly to the one of the amateurs, does not have a
structurally independent organization, nor a separate building. It has been started by the photographers of
the craft-union. Neither of them have functioned as a real museum, they have only existed on the level of
declaration.
1943 In the August issue of “Fotóművészet” the following appeal is published: “The EMAOSZ founded
a photomuseum a few years ago. It has since than been diligently collecting old cameras, the works of
excellent masters of the last century (their pictures and all written an published literatue on photography),
in other words everything that provides reference to the historical past of photography. We Hungarians have
joined the pioneers of photography at a very early stage,... Our union formulates an appeal to the
understanding public for the sake of increasing the museum, to contribute to this cultural work. It asks
everybody to donate objects, which may serve as reference to the history of photography, to the museum.”
In September the collection of the Hungarian Photo-museum consists 3315 pieces, its professional library
consists of 950 books, hence the collection has increased by not more than 114 items within a year.
1957 In the 5th issue of “Fotó” once again the following appeal is to be read: Art-photographic
museum! The last sentence of the article: „The Photographers Association of Hungary has put the organizing of
a photographic museum on its agenda.”
1958 January 1st – the photo-historical collection of the Photographer’s Association of
Hungary has started to function.
In the April issue of “Fotó” dr. Zoltán Király publishes an article on the newly founded Photo-historical
Collection.
1963 - an exhibition opens in the National Technical Library with the title “The Histrory of
Photography”. In the same dr. Jenő Sevcsik writes the following in the 2nd issue of “Fotó”: “All, who owe or
know of objects, which are worth mentioning concerning the development of photography, would do better, if
they reported those to the Technological Remembrance Registrating and Collecting Group. (Bp. IX. Kinizsi utca
39.) Here, the objects are registered and stored for later museum purposes and for the sake of possible
upcoming temporary exhibitions.”
1967 December The Photo-historical and Museum Comission of the Photographer’s Association of
Hungary declares that it will start gathering the best works of contemporary hungarian photo-artists. In
1968, in two occasions, it purchased altogether 419 pictures of the following artists: Attila Alapfy, Demeter
Balla, Ferenc Botta, Imre Gál, Gyula Holics, Rudolf Járai, Kata Kálmán, Kálmán Klell, István Károly Kovács,
dr. Tibor Rehák, Pál Réti, dr. József Szabó, Kálmán Szőllősy, János Sztály, Ede Tomori, László Vámos and Iván
Vydareny.
1969 In the 4th issue of “Fotóművészet” Károly Szalay expects the rise of our photographic culture
from the foundation of a museum of photography.
1978 Edit Molnár appeals to the Ministry of Cultural affairs about the issue of the photo-museum.
1980 Spring – a plan is created for the location of the museum , in the Villa at Budapest XI.
Szüret street, as part of the Hungarian National Gallery.
These plans were brought to naught by the high reparation costs of the building.
1981 In October - Tamás Féner, the secretary-general of the Photographers Association of Hungary
wrote a letter to Dezső Tóth vice-minister about the location of the Photo-historical Collection.
1982 In Dezső Tóth’s letter, dated January 15th, he declares that the collection is
immediately to be handed over to the Hungarian National Gallery.
By July a contract-draft is formulated between the Association and the Gallery.
By November the National Gallery renounces its claim for the Photo-historical Collection.
1983 January – February – articles are released in daily press about the photo-museum (Magyar
Nemzet: István Katona, Tamás Féner).
In February György Weisz, president of the Council in Vác, publishes an artcile on the founding of a Photo-
technical Museum.
1984 “Vác has been the city of photo-chemical industry for half a century by now. Before the liberation the
subsidiary of Kodak has been working here..., today Forte... therefore, initiated by Iván Kocsis, president
of the “Dunakanyar Fotóklub” (Camera Club Dunakanyar), a photo-technical/historical museum will be created
here, adjacent to the Imre Madách Cultural Center. The Forte industry will contribute with two million
forints to the founding of the institution, the city council will give one million forints and provide the
ground for the industry-historical collection, which is unique in this country.” (Monday News, 1984.18. July)
In the 1st-2nd issue of the “Historical Museum Report” 1984., ten great Hungarian photographic collections
are reviewed; in the preface István Katona urges the founding of an art-photographic museum.
In June the József Petzvál Photo-historical Collection is opened in Vác. This is not an independent museum
either. It does not have an own collection, structurally it is merely part of a network.
1986 February - president of FÖFOTÓ, László Attila Erdélyi makes an offer for putting down the
economical bases for an art-photographic museum
1987 January - the OMKER offers a 1000 m2 location in Budapest, on the corner of Arany János street
and Akadémia street, but the Association cannot get the necessary 10 million forints from the ministry for
the purchase.
1988 In July OMKER offers other locations, this time it would be a two-room flat in
Budapest, on the corner of Ó street and Bajcsy-Zsilinszky street. The ministry would have been willing to pay
3 million forints.
1989-ben Mrs. Ibolya Mohai Farkas plans a 4 storey photo-museum on the Buda side, in the place of a
warn down building between the Várkert kiosk and the Tunnel, as her diploma-work at the university. Those
plans are standing on a shelve covered with dust eversince.
In autumn an interview is made in cultural magazine “Stúdió ‘89” with István Katona, president of the
Photographer’s Association of Hungary, about the unbearable state the Photo-historical Collection is in.
End of October the president of the Council of Bács-Kiskun county, István Gajdócsi offers the romantic style
synagogue building for the purpose of a photo-museum in Kecskemét. The building has previously been used for
puppet-shows, and later it has been working as a congress-hall. The national monument-like building has
originally been working as a restaurant, it has been turned into an orthodox synagogue around 1910.
1990 December Hungarian Photographic Foundation was founded. The initiators and main sponsors
apart from the Association are the following: a FŐFOTÓ, Fényképész PLC., Ministry of Culture and Education,
the Reanal Finomvegyszergyár, the Forte, the Fuji Hungary Ltd., the Nikon Hungary Ltd.
1991. September 13th the renovated building has been handed over.
In December the doors of the Hungarian Museum of Photography open up.
