#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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Poetry recital and contest „Ştefan cel Mare and the battle of Vaslui in the work of classical and contemporary Romanian authors”

January 10th, 2016

On January 10th were marked 541 years of the glorious victory of ruler Ştefan cel Mare in the Battle of Vaslui. On this occasion, the National Museum of History of Moldova held a poetry recital dedicated to Ştefan cel Mare's manhood and heroism. The recital and contest were organized by the Academy "Ştefan cel Mare", Association "Military traditions" and the host institution. The event aimed at promoting the interest among younger generation for national history and great personalities of our nation, for culture and art; stimulating creativity and originality; developing capacity to perceive and express the literary work in verse.

The contest on patriotic poetry brought together about 30 students from various educational institutions in Chișinău - Theoretic Lyceums „Ion Creangă", „Mircea Eliade", „Mihai Viteazul", „Universul" and „Grătiești", Gymnasiums „Decebal", no. 74 „Viorel Găină" and no. 53 - who recited verses signed by classical and contemporary Romanian authors.

1st Prize was awarded to brothers Nicu and Bogdan Glavan (Theoretical Lyceum „Mihai Viteazul"), with the poem „Victoria de la Vaslui" by Maria Botnaru; 2nd Prize award went to Veronica Burbulea (Theoretical Lyceum „Ion Creangă"), with the poem „Ştefan la Daniil Sihastru" by Radu Gyr; 3rd Prize was granted to Anastasia Roșu (Theoretical Lyceum „Universul"), with the poem „La Putna" by Leonida Lari. The jury also awarded six special mentions - for expressivity, oratorical talent, artistry, tenacity, originality and courage - to the following participants: Nicolae Odagiu (Theoretical Lyceum „Mircea Eliade"), Gheorghe Argint (Theoretical Lyceum „Universul"), Aurelia Rusu (Theoretical Lyceum „Universul"), Simion Grati (Gymnasium „Decebal"), Ion Cazacu (Gymnasium „Decebal") and Maxim Osadcii (Theoretical Lyceum „Universul"). Also, all students who participated in the poetry recital about Ştefan cel Mare were granted with diplomas and various prizes.

The prizes were awarded by a jury formed of: Aurelia Cornețchi, deputy director of National Museum of History of Moldova; Ion Tentiuc, head of Archaeology and Ancient History Section of National Museum of History of Moldova; Elena Carp, head of Publications Loan Service of National Library; Diana Cebotari, senior lecturer of Centre of European integration formation and international police cooperation of Department for professional and management development of „Ştefan cel Mare" Academy; Ina Balan, senior lecturer of Centre for professional communication and foreign languages of Department for professional and management development of „Ştefan cel Mare" Academy.

The competitors and their relatives, jury members and museum visitors spent almost two hours in company of patriotic poetry and music offered by Gicu Afrone, solo singer of ethno-folkloric group „La poarta lui Ştefan Vodă" and Victor Botnaru, university professor from the Academy of Music, Theatre and Plastic Arts, master of arts.