24 October 2015

Andreas Groll's work of the 19th century is an example for revolution in photography: outdoor photographs for authentic documentation

From 21 October until 10 January 2016, Wien Museum exhibits around 180 images by Viennese photographer 'Andreas Groll - Vienna's First Modern Photographer' who worked between 1842 and 1871 and toured with his camera through countries of the Austrian Monarchy for the documentation of buildings (from factories to construction sites) for architects, museum curators and the newly emerging field monument preservation. Outdoor photography was brand new during the mid-19th century in times when the importance of sciences and technological innovations grew and ground-breaking social changes accompanied industrialization. Technologies and sciences were even the motors of new opportunities for photographers (keywords: technical equipment of camera and film material for outdoor) and powered the request for authentic photographic documents (science of monument preservation) such as in the case of Andreas Groll (1812-1872) who combined in his work painters' compositions and motifs as well as brand new perspectives which were opened by outdoor photography.

fig.: Construction work on the south tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral, 1865. Photography by Andreas Groll; (C) Bundesdenkmalamt/Austrian Federal Monuments Office.
Image below: Opernring: The building of the opera (view from the opera intersection of the Ringstrasse), 1865. Photography by Andreas Groll; (C) Wien Museum.
Photos digitized/photographed by Birgit and Kainz Peter: (C) Wien Museum/Birgit und Peter Kainz.

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