#Exhibit of the Month

The main parts of the camera include the body, bellows, lens, and viewfinder system. The body consists of two lacquered walnut wood frames, joined by a folding black textile bellows that allows the necessary extension for focusing. On the front panel is the Agfa anastigmat lens, mounted in a Compur-type shutter produced by F. Deckel in Munich. It features a foldable "brilliant" viewfinder for both portrait and landscape orientation. It uses glass photographic plates coated with a photographic emulsion, mounted in walnut wood holders, with a frame size of 9x12 cm.
The walnut wood model, considered the flagship "Agfa Isolar Luxus," was designed by the A.H. Rietzschel factory in Munich, acquired by AGFA in 1925, which continued producing this type of camera under its own name until the late 1920s.
The piece was restored by Mihail Culașco, Restoration Department of NMHM.
Brief History of the Camera
The history of the camera spans 200 years, evolving from the camera obscura to today's digital devices. Key milestones include: the first permanent photograph in 1826 by French physicist Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, using a wooden box and a plate coated with bitumen of Judea; the invention of the first photographic process - daguerreotype - in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, marking the official birth of photography; the invention of calotype, based on the negative/positive principle, by British physicist and chemist Fox Talbot; the invention of wet collodion plates by Englishman Frederick Scott Archer and dry glass plates by Richard Leach Maddox and John Huds Bennet; the introduction of flexible roll film and the launch of the first Kodak camera by American inventor George Eastman; the release of the first 35 mm film camera by German company "Leica"; the launch of the first instant camera "Polaroid," invented by American Edwin Land. Finally, starting in 1975, this path led to the digital photography revolution. Each successive step made cameras smaller and faster, significantly improving image quality.
The first photographic studio in Chișinău was opened in 1854 by Eduard Glewski, and before World War I, there were already about 100 photography studios in Bessarabia.
The collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova includes over 30 cameras, made in Austria, Germany, France, USSR, Japan, and China, dating from the late 19th century to the 2000s. Among them are folding bellows cameras, BOX-type cameras, single-lens reflex (SLR) and twin-lens reflex (TLR) cameras, as well as digital (DSLR) cameras.

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Events Archive

Opening of the exhibition "Bessarabian Bulgarians and the Liberation of Bulgaria"

March 4, 2023

On March 4, 2023, in the hall of the House of Culture of the city of Taraclia, was opened the photo-documentary exhibition "Bessarabian Bulgarians and the Liberation of Bulgaria", dedicated to the 145 years since the liberation of Bulgaria from the domination of the Ottoman Empire.

During the exhibition launch event, the vice-president of the Taraclia district, Mr. Alexandru Borimecicov, emphasized the importance of the exhibition and it must to be sent to all educational institutions in the Taraclia district to popularize knowledge about the Bessarabian Bulgarians, who participated in the Liberation of the Motherland their history. Also, Mr. Borimecicov mentioned that in autumn, the exhibition will be sent to Bulgaria, where it will be temporarily exhibited in the Presidency and Parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The General Director of the National Museum of History of Moldova, dr. hab. Eugen Sava reiterated NMHM's openness to the initiative of the Taraclia District Council and the Scientific Society of Bulgarians from the Republic of Moldova to jointly organize this exhibition. The exhibition includes documents and photographs from the NMHM funds, and the purpose of the museum, as a cultural, scientific and educational institution, is to promote historical values and present them to the general public objectively.

The Consul of the Republic of Bulgaria in Taraclia, Mr. Liubomir Dimov, congratulated everyone present on the National Day of Bulgaria. Mr. Dimov thanked the National Museum of History of Moldova for the fruitful collaboration with Bulgarian scientific and cultural public organizations from the Republic of Moldova and expressed his desire to personally visit the National Museum of History of Moldova to see the originals of some objects, which are related to the history of Bulgaria and Moldovan-Bulgarian cultural relations.

The President of the Scientific Society of Bulgarians from the Republic of Moldova dr. hab. Ivan Duminica pointed out the practical value of the exhibition, which will be used as course support for the subject of studies "History, tradition and culture of the Bulgarian people", which is taught in schools in the Taraclia district.

Toward the end of the event, Mrs. Maria Evdochimova, NMHM museographer, presented the exhibition to the audience, telling in the smallest details about the images, documents and objects present on the exhibition banners. Ms. Evdochimova reviewed the events that led to the liberation of Bulgaria and reported on the Bessarabian Bulgarians who participated in these processes.

As a sign of gratitude, for the realization of this exhibition, the vice-president of the Taraclia district, Mr. Alexandru Borimecicov, awarded diplomas of honor to the NMHM team, represented by Mr. Eugen Sava, General Director, Mrs. Livia Sîrbu, Deputy Director for Communication, Mrs. Maria Evdochimova, museographer, Sorin Șclearuc, main specialist in communication, and Mr. Ivan Duminică, President of the Scientific Society of Bulgarians from the Republic of Moldova.