#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

The closing event of the "Artifact from Your Locality" project

December 20, 2024

On December 20, 2024, at the National History Museum of Moldova, the closing event of the "Artifact from TA locality" project took place, which aimed to disseminate the research of the National Cultural Heritage in the rural communities of the Republic of Moldova, through a series of educational activities and valorization of local historical artifacts.

Eugen Sava, dr. hab., the general director of the museum, Gheorghe Postică, prof. Dr. hab., head of the History, archeology and museology section within MNIM, Valeria Suruceanu, administrator of ICOM Moldova and Livia Ermurachi, project coordinator.

All the speakers highlighted the positive impact of the project on the conservation, promotion and transmission to the general public of cultural and historical values and emphasized the essential role of collaboration between heritage experts, public institutions and local communities in ensuring sustainable cultural education.

During the event, the launch of the project brochure took place, the scientific publication containing the main results obtained from the project. The booklet includes detailed descriptions of the 24 artefacts selected and utilized by the project, as well as documentation of the activities carried out within the communities involved. The material represents both an educational resource and a testimony of the process of conservation and promotion of the National Archaeological Heritage.

In recognition of the efforts made, the organizers awarded diplomas of appreciation to the partner institutions and the people involved in the realization of the project. Among them are specialists in archaeology, teaching staff, volunteers and representatives of the local public administration, whose input was essential for the success of the initiative.

The "Artifact from TA locality" project demonstrated the importance of valorizing the National Cultural Heritage as a central element of the identity of local communities and the education of the young generation, strengthening the connection between history, culture and society.