Vörös Éva: Erdélyi Mór fotográfiái - A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum tárgykatalógusai 3. (Budapest, 2012)
1 1 purchased 468 photographs from Erdélyi in this year alone, in the following themes:- Several shots of horses from the Kisbér, Bábolna and Fogaras state stud farms;- Shots of animal shows, primarily horses, cattle and poultry;- Series of photographs depicting demesnes or manors:20 the Radvány estate of Count László Radványi, the animal stock on the estate of Count Endre Hadik Barkóczy, the Rákó estate of Count István Keglevich, the Rohonc farm of Gyula Szájhelyi, the Rátót farm of Kálmán Széli, the estate of Count Frigyes Wenckheim, the Kartal estate of Count Henrik Schlossberger,21 and the royal manor at Gödöllő.22 Also in the general catalogue for the year 1902 there is a reference to an album concerning the Budapest Slaughterhouse. The collection itself however contains a selection of 50 photographs, signed by Erdélyi, on the same subject, as a part of the south Pest industrial area, with photographs also showing the railway loading platforms, corrals, the animal market etcímű Another unique item is a present by Mór Erdélyi depicting Lake Csorba, ‘made on silver plate’ and in a frame. These data however need clarification. A large number of photographs had been lost or destroyed during several decades of transfers, official loans, presentations and wartime damages. Several photographs of historical value by Mór Erdélyi survive from the 1890s. Their subsequent identification was greatiy helped by the contemporary issues of the weekly Vasárnapi Újság: Anniversary of the Imperial and Royal 32nd Regiment of Foot - snapshot-3; ‘Members of the Old Parliament House in session*24 etcímű The photographs still feature the address of Erdélyi’s first studio at Erzsébet tér, where he operated in the period 1888-1891.25 Those photographs that were made of the highest court circles, the agricultural shows26, other related events27 and opening ceremonies28 where the Emperor was present, as well as protocol events of the Ministry of Agriculture,29 can also be included in this group. A series of photographs made during the Exposition Universelle in 1900 is also a result of his work as a reporter.30 This photographic collection can be regarded as an illustrated documentary of the versatility of late 19th century Hungarian agriculture. His activities were rewarded by a mention of his name among those receiving the highest accolade’.31 A separate group among his photographs in the collection is one involving manorial and farm buildings, agricultural labours undertaken on these farms and their animal stock. Notes from the years 1902, 1913 and 1915 establish that Erdélyi also made a series of photographs of the animal stock of the four state-owned stud farms at Kisbér, Bábolna, Fogaras and Mezőhegyes.32 In connection to this subject mention should be made of Mór Erdélyi’s master, Ede Eilinger. He started to work as a studio photographer around 1870 in Pest. He moved his studio to his own home in Régiposta utca around 1880, where he continued his activities until the first decade of the 20th century. At the turn of the century he operated a summer studio at Siófok.33 The collection keeps several original photographs which were made by Ede Eilinger in című 1898 on the Mezőhegyes Stud Farm. The farm is associated with Ferenc Kozma, one of the outstanding characters of Hungarian horse breeding. As a result of his efforts, Mezőhegyes had become a model farm of European reputation and its Nonius, Gidran and Furioso breeds were world-famous. A short article about Mezőhegyes in Vasárnapi Újság coincides in subject and time with those of the photographs by Erdélyi and Eilinger in our collection. The article also included an illustrated report, which might have been photographed by Ede Eilinger and Mór Erdélyi together. Erdélyi made two documentary photos of a herd of two-year-old foals and the unveiling of a statue of Ferenc Kozma.34 Photos depicting the farm were made by Ede Eilinger, those commemorating events by Mór Erdélyi. Photographs involving farm labours are by Erdélyi.35 Research by Judit Knézy drew attention to an important fact in connection with the Mezőhegyes photos: During the tenure of Ignác Darányi as minister agricultural labourers’s strikes caused problems. The Ministry transported labourers from Upper Hungary to Mezőhegyes from where blacklegging day labourers and harvesters were sent to affected manors. Shots made by Erdélyi depict women, girls and men in Upper Hungarian folk costumes that were unknown in the vicinity of Mezőhegyes. It might have been Darányi’s idea to have these day labourers photographed both at their arrival on the railway platform and during work 20 For a more in-depth discussion, see Judit Knézy, ‘A századfordulón készült uradalmi fényképek.’ In A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum Közleményei (1992-1994): 305-323. 21 EF 1547-1556, 3879,10381-10390. MMgM MD General Catalogue 1902. 23 EF 1125-1127. 24 EF 1119. 25 Knézy, 'Erdélyi Mór’ 83-103. 26 Photographs taken at the International Dog Show of 1900 were also catalogued in 1902. See also: Vasárnapi Újság 1900, no. 21: 348. 27 EF 1418/1-2, 1420-1421. 28 EF 1419/1-5. 29 MMgM MD 318/1911,334/1911; EF 1116-1117,1130-1134,1139. 30 EF 1520-1539,1606-1865. 31 Vasárnapi Újság 1901, no. 9: 144. 32 MMgM MD 917/30. 33 Katalin Jalsovszky and Ilona Stemlerné Balog, Fénnyel írott történelem (Budapest: Helikon, 2000). 34 Vasárnapi Újság 1898, no. 22: 375. 35 EF 99-100. 18
