A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historica 2. (Szeged, 1999)

FÁRI Irén: Szegedi betyárfényképek

IRÉN FARI PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE OUTLAWS OF SZEGED The life of the outlaw requires a deviant form of behaviour. Due to the events of history, it became a serious societal problem. As a result of the subdued Revolution and Freedom Fight of 1848-49, the image of the outlaw who either revolted or appeared to do so against the foreign political power became quite advantageous. This is why their character was brought to life again as romantic heroes through stories of the outlaws, folk-songs, tales and myths. The treaty between the House of Habsburg and the Hungarian ruling leadership created a new state of affairs. The reenactment of the Hungarian Constitutional order called for an end to the world of the outlaw, demanded the creation of citizen rights, and the protection of property. The parliament sent Count Gedeon Ráday to the Great Plain with a special consent. He carried out his duties between 1869-1873 with extreme intensity, using cruel methods. His power extended over 5 counties and he made the Szeged castle his headquarters. A great deal of literature has been written on the outlaw. A book has been published in Japan recently about the most famous outlaw of the Great Plain: Sándor Rózsa. Despite the volume of literature on the topic, we know very little about court cases involving outlaws from the Ráday era. The present essay provides a special addition to this period with the 40 photographs that were purchased by the Museum of Szeged a few years ago. They portray convicted outlaws in the castle of Szeged. The essay discusses the origin of the photographs, the collection of pieces, with photo-historical significance, located in public collections, and literature about the Szeged outlaws.