56 izzó ősze volt… Pillanatképek a forradalom napjairól - It was the fervent autumn of ’56. Snapshots on the Days of the Uprising (Budapest, 2006)

BEVEZETŐ

FOREWORD Nearly 150 years have passed since the recording of the first historical photographs, whose topics were the Crimean War of 1854-56 and the American Civil War of 186165. In this book the photos taken 50 years ago send us messages from the past. These contemporary photos make us take a different view about the events that took place half a century ago. Today it is already an undoubted fact that the photos that were used only as illustrations are becoming sources and independent research fields for history. They interpret a certain segment of the past like a visual report and help us compare written and experienced history. At the same time they bear the signatures of the photographers and make us see the events through the eyes of the photographers. However, like other historical sources, these also need to be learnt to read and interpret. The photos become a complete data source together with the information of the textual sources.