In Slovenia, portrait photography has been present for a long time. Its beginnings reach back to 1859 when Ernest Pogorelc, a photographer from Ljubljana, obtained a trade permit to build his photographic studio. During the late 19th century and the first part of the 20th century, studio photography evolved dramatically. By 1919, the year that marks the end of the first period in its evolution, there was already 67 photographic studios working in central Slovenia alone. But despite the fact photography was legally considered a craft from 1864 onward, it was only in 1910 that photographers came to found the Regional Cooperative of Photographers – an association that established rules concerning the required education and ways to obtain a work permit. The reason these rules were accepted relatively late is partially related to the complexity of the work processes. After 1900, these became much simpler, making photography much more accessible to amateurs.

In the collection before you we present a selection of photographs from 60 photographic studios working in different Slovenian cities and towns.