Ivan Standl facts for kids
Ivan Standl (born October 27, 1832 – died August 30, 1897) was one of the first professional photographers in Zagreb, which is now in Croatia. He was famous for his amazing documentary pictures. These photos showed real life and events. He also created the very first Croatian photobook, which came out in 1870.
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Ivan Standl: A Pioneer Photographer
Ivan Standl was from Czech background. He was born in Prague in 1832. We don't know exactly when he moved to Zagreb. But we know he was active there by 1864. That year, he won first prize at a big Business Fair. His photos also won awards at international shows. These were in places like Moscow (1872) and London (1874). He also won prizes in Trieste (1882) and Budapest (1885).
Capturing Famous Faces and Croatian Landmarks
Standl took pictures of many important people. These included the writer August Šenoa and bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer. He also photographed Ban Levin Rauch and the violin player Franjo Krežma. Other famous people he photographed were historian Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski and Zagreb mayor Matija Mrazović.
His most important photos were taken outdoors. They showed Croatia's beautiful natural places and old buildings. Standl also took the first known photo of the Baška tablet. This important stone carving was photographed in 1869.
The First Croatian Photobook
In 1869, Standl announced a big project. He wanted to create a series of photos. These would show Croatia's natural and cultural heritage. He started this plan in March of the same year. He published one part each month. Each part had two photographs.
All 24 photos were put together in August 1870. They became a book called Fotografijske slike iz Dalmacije, Hrvatske i Slavonije. This means "Photographic images from Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia". Famous writers like Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski and Radoslav Lopašić wrote texts for the book.
The photobook was highly praised by Vienac magazine. A second edition of the book won a prize. This was at a London exhibition in 1874. There were plans for another book, but it was never made. The first book was quite expensive. This made the project not very profitable.
Documenting the Zagreb Earthquake
In 1880, a big earthquake hit Zagreb. Standl took many photos of the damage. These pictures were later published as an album. The photos showed important public buildings. Most of these were churches and castles. They had been damaged by the earthquake.
Standl's work made him very famous. He was chosen as one of five official photographers. Their works were shown at the 1896 Millennium Exhibition in Budapest.
