Photographic portraits of Dresden citizens of the 19th century
Only a few closed collections have survived from the early days of the Stadtmuseum. For this reason alone, an almost completely preserved collection of around 2,700 portrait photographs on 2,100 support cartons is of particular importance. The initiator was the historian, city archivist and city library director Otto Richter (1852 – 1922), who was director of the museum from its foundation in 1891 until his retirement in 1912. He compiled portraits of important citizens (and also some female citizens) to create a photographic gallery of honour, which was intended to perpetuate their memory in the city. The approximately 650 plates labelled by Richter himself form the core of the collection.
The preservation, cataloguing and research of this important source of the city's history has been pursued for several years. With the support of the Saxon State Office for Museums, it has been possible to digitise all the fronts and backs of the panels and set up a database containing the relevant information on the images and the people depicted.
