Warsaw, photo by Karol Beyer. Madonna and Child. Photograph from before 1864. Rarer reverse. Dimension 106 x 69 mm
Karol Beyer (1818-1877) - one of the greatest individuals in the history of Polish photography. He was a collector, amateur scientist and patriotic activist in the period 1861-1863, which he paid with exile to Siberia, where of course he also took photographs. He opened his first business in 1844 as a daguerreotype studio, later turning it into a photographic atelier. In 1857 he moved to premises at 389 Krakowskie Przedmieście St., where he operated until around 1863. The main specialty of the establishment was portrait photography, especially appointment photography. He worked for public affairs by taking portraits of people taking part in political and social events, including a set of portraits of the so-called five fallen in the patriotic demonstration of 27 II 1861 in Warsaw's Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. He was a member of the City Delegation, a committee set up to ensure public peace after that demonstration.
