Collection of Photographs, Postcards and Photographic Equipment

The Split City Museum’s Collection of Photographs, Postcards and Photographic Equipment comprises over 18,000 items. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs and postcards, while a smaller portion includes photographic and cinematographic equipment dating from 1860 onwards. Together, these materials provide valuable visual documentation of the city of Split’s growth and development, its inhabitants’ appearance, and the evolution of photographic techniques and styles, closely mirroring international trends in photography.

The Collection features examples of portrait photography, along with images documenting political, social and sporting events, city views and panoramas, cultural and historical monuments of Split’s old town, and scenes from the daily lives of its residents.

Its holdings continue to expand through legacies, donations and acquisitions, preserving photographs that offer important visual records of the historical and cultural memory of Split and its people.

The Collection includes photographs from 1860 up to World War I by Split’s earliest professional photographers, taken both in their studios and on location. Notable photographers include Petar Zink, Edoardo Gallicy, Franz Thiard de Laforest, Josip Popović, Marko Manenizza, Artur Bonavia, Marko Josip Goldstein, Enrich Wieser, and the skilled amateur Luciano Morpurgo, whose images of Split hold exceptional documentary value. The Collection also features studio portraits and reportage photography by Stevan Sinobad (Fotoreportaža Sinobad – Split) and Petar Ruljančić (Olimpia), as well as works by prominent interwar photographers such as Dragutin Karl Sthüler and Ante Borović (Foto atelijer Hollywood), along with extensive material by post-war amateur photographers.