Bárkányi Ildikó – F. Lajkó Orsolya (szerk.): A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 2017., Új folyam 4. (Szeged, 2018)
Történettudomány
Irén Fári Photographers in Szeged in the interwar Photographers in Szeged in the Interwar Irén Fári Szeged’s first photography studio was opened in 1859. At the time, five photographers worked in Buda and Pest, and Debrecen had one. From the beginning, right until the First World War, some forty five photography studios operating for varying periods of time. In our study we collected photographers from Szeged operating or starting their operation du- ringthe Interwar Period. In the 1921 registry of Szeged, we were able to find 15 photographers, and 24 were listed in 1942. By that time, in addition to professional photographers with their own studios, excellent amateurs - whose livelihood was not, or was not entirely from photography - were operating as well. László Benedek was a food chemist and a paprika researcher. Judit Kárász, who studied in the Bauhaus School of Art, has also created her photos on the field of socio-photography. Law student Miklós Miiller became a famous photographer later on in Spain under the pseudonym of Nicolas Muller. Béla Liebmann led an opticial shop, while in his capacity as photo journalist he sent his photos to several newspapers, especially regarding the Open-Air Festival of Szeged in 1931. Some studio photographers elevated their work to an artistic level, eg.: Manci Bäck, Endre Gábor or the Rónai brothers. It is a less known fact that Academy Award winner Vilmos Zsigmond acquired his knowledge of photography from Balázs Becsky, in his studio. A few photo studios served the work of subsequent masters for several decades. The oldest among them under Nr. 8. Kölcsey Street was opened in 1870. The house and the studio survived the flood's destruction in 1879, the Auer Brothers worked here in the 1920s’. In addition to the chancing cityscape, the photographers of Szeged immortalized important events of the town’s life as well. These photos depict the French occupation, industrial fairs, and fairs in the Lower City, visits of famous individuals or the governor,, the foundation of the University, various expressions of social life, marketplaces, and traditional craftsmen with ever decreasing numbers. 246
