Casasola Archive facts for kids
The Casasola Archive is a huge collection of photos that show the history and culture of Mexico. It's like a giant photo album of the past! This amazing collection is the main part of the National Photo Library, which is run by the Mexican government. It has super important pictures from the time of Porfirio Diaz and the Mexican Revolution.
The main part of the collection was put together by Agustín Víctor Casasola. He was a photojournalist, someone who takes pictures for news stories, in Mexico City. The archive has his own photos, plus pictures from about 500 other photographers. It includes both printed photos and the original film negatives.
Since 1976, the archive has been kept safe in special, climate-controlled rooms. These rooms are in an old Franciscan convent, which is now the National Photo Library. It's located in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, and is part of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The building also has spaces where people can see the photos on display. Today, the National Photo Library has 39 different sections with a total of 850,000 items, including both positive prints and negatives.
History of the Casasola Archive
Agustín Víctor Casasola (1874–1938) and his brother Miguel (1876–1951) were pioneers in photojournalism. They were among the first to take pictures for news stories. They took many photos during the Mexican Revolution. They sold copies of their pictures but kept the original negatives. This is how Agustín Víctor started the archive.
After Agustín Víctor, his children Gustavo, Agustín, Ismael, Dolores, Piedad, and Mario continued to build the collection. Other famous photographers whose work is part of the archive include Guillermo Kahlo (who was the father of the artist Frida Kahlo), Hugo Brehme, Manuel Ramos, and Eduardo Salmerón.
Most of the photos in the collection were taken in Mexico City, where the Casasola family lived. Many pictures show politicians and important political events. But there are also many photos of everyday life. These include scenes of factories, transportation, city growth, sports, arts, entertainment, and portraits of people living in the capital city.
The Casasola family owned the archive until 1975. There was a chance it might be sold and leave Mexico. But the Mexican government saw how important these photos were to the country's history and culture. So, they bought the collection to keep it safe in Mexico.
The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) now manages the archive at its National Photo Library. The old San Francisco convent in Pachuca, Hidalgo was made ready with special climate control. The facility opened on November 20, 1976. This date is important because it's the anniversary of the start of the Mexican Revolution.
The Casasola Archive at the National Photo Library has 483,993 pieces. This includes 411,904 negatives (mostly old glass plates and nitrate films) and 72,089 printed photos. About 43% of these photos have been digitized. This means they are available to view online through the National Photo Library System.
Gallery
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Arrival of Francisco I. Madero at Pachuca
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Revolutionary soldiers and soldaderas (Adelitas)
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Child soldier
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The victory at Ciudad Juárez: Venustiano Carranza, Francisco I. Madero, Pascual Orozco, Francisco Villa in 1911.
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Ten Tragic Days in February 1913
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Constitutionalist Army cavalry
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Venustiano Carranza and General Álvaro Obregón.
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See also
In Spanish: Archivo Casasola para niños
