Anniversary exhibition of the Photographic Society 1901
The anniversary exhibition of the Photographic Society from November 4 to December 6, 1901 was held on the occasion of the 40-year existence of the society in the premises of the kk teaching and research institute for photography and reproduction processes at its former location on Westbahnstrasse in Vienna- Neubau . As the head of this school at the time and at the same time president of the Photographic Society, Josef Maria Eder organized this exhibition.
prehistory
The members of the Photographic Society, above all Josef Maria Eder, have made a significant contribution to the research and development of artistic and scientific photography in the service of astronomy, microscopy and radiology since it was founded. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary it was decided to organize an exhibition to show the development of photography over the past forty years and to present the successful achievements of society to a broad audience. At this point in time, the company had already put together a large number of photographic literature, excerpts from photomechanical printing processes, as well as photographic and optical devices in a meticulous collection, some of which were displayed as exhibits, making this exhibition a unique show on the history of photography made from 1840 to 1901.
At the same time, this exhibition showed for the first time what valuable contribution Austria made in the history of photography.
Exhibition profile
The grand opening with the presence of numerous celebrities was carried out by Minister of Education Wilhelm von Hartel .
In the historical department of the were Josef Maximilian Petzval invented Petzval lens from 1840 and a camera by Louis Daguerre in 1839 the highlight. It is worth mentioning a Daguerre plate from 1841, recorded by Johann Natterer, which is now known as "The Josefsplatz in the Vienna Hofburg". The company C. Angerer & Göschl demonstrated with their show of colored photographs that the attempts to produce colored reproductions using etched plates go back to 1875. Carl Angerer also exhibited the first two etched high-pressure clichés on a white background, etched with zinc, from 1861, both workpieces of the "Viennese etching method" he invented.
The exhibition also included photographic works by amateurs such as Julius Hofmann, Albert and Nathaniel von Rothschild, Philipp Wilhelm von Schoeller and Joseph Beck. The kk Hof- und Staatsdruckerei presented a selection of their prints from various reproduction processes. The Vienna University Observatory participated with a show of photos of the moon and shooting stars. Participating companies included Blechinger & Lehlauf, to whom Austria owes the introduction of color heliogravure . In the scientific field, Gustav Gaertner demonstrated the use of photography for blood testing with a self-designed apparatus and the radiologist Leopold Freund showed the use of X-rays for medical purposes. The exhibits included around 700 objects.
In the first week the organizers welcomed 2,315 exhibition visitors and a total of 5,441 visitors were recorded.