#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

Marking the 105th anniversary of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania

March 27, 2023

On the occasion of the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania, the National Museum of History of Moldova organized a series of activities aimed at honoring the historical event of the unification of the two Romanian provinces into a single state.

In this context, NMHM museographers organized thematic lessons for students, presenting them with the history of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania and its importance for our national history and culture.

In collaboration with the Brașov County Museum of History, the Forums Association, the Bessarabian Youth Association and the Brașov County Council, an exhibition celebrating the 105th anniversary of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania was opened in the ground floor hall, entitled "Queen Maria, irresistible ambassador of history and Romanian folk art".

The exhibition is a tribute to a particularly important figure for our history, Queen Maria of Romania, who was one of the greatest ambassadors of Romanian culture, proudly promoting folk art and our ancient traditions. The exhibition speech made by the historian Nicolae Pepene is focused on archival images of the Crown Princess/Queen Maria of Romania in folk costume, photographed in her residences in Bicaz, Bran, Cotroceni or Peleș. Images from the period 1893 - 1936 are presented, accompanied by explanatory texts and quotes from the work of the sovereign. The exhibition also includes a selection of images from the illustration of children's books written by Queen Maria, works that abound in drawings inspired by the image of traditional Romanian costumes and objects adorned with popular motifs.

These activities highlighted the importance of reuniting the territories inhabited by Romanians under a single state and reaffirmed the cultural values and ancient traditions that define our national history. The National Museum of History of Moldova paid tribute to the values that define the Romanian people and emphasized the importance of preserving traditions, culture, national history and passing it on to younger generations.