Near Nīca, Bārta, Rucava and Palanga. Christmas 1894
Alsunga, Turlava, Rumba un Snēpele township villages of Curonian kings – Kalēji, Ķoniņi, Pliķi, Ziemeļi, Dragūni, and Viesalgi. Easter 1895
The most prolific Riga Latvian Society expedition photographer was Jānis Krēsliņš. At Christmas 1894, he went to collect material in Nīca, Bārta, and Palanga, returning with about 180 photographs. At Easter 1895, Kēsliņš visited Alsunga and the descendants of the so called Curonian kings in the villages of Ķoniņi, Dragūni, Kalēji, Ziemeļi, Viesalgi, and Pliķi.
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Mannequin for the Latvian ethnographic exhibition dressed in the traditional costume of the Curonian kings. Based on Līze Tontegode’s anthropological data. Latvijas Nacionālā bibliotēka
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Līze Tontegode. Kuldīga county Turlava township Pliķi village. 1895. Anthropologic data added by Jānis Krēsliņš
The most prolific Riga Latvian Society expedition photographer was Jānis Krēsliņš. At Christmas 1894, he went to collect material in Nīca, Bārta, and Palanga, returning with about 180 photographs. At Easter 1895, Kēsliņš visited Alsunga and the descendants of the so called Curonian kings in the villages of Ķoniņi, Dragūni, Kalēji, Ziemeļi, Viesalgi, and Pliķi.
An integral part of 18th and 19th c. ethnographic data was information on the physical anthropology of the ethnic group. To describe the typology of a Latvian scientifically and as accurately as possible, the creators of the Latvian ethnographic exhibition purposefully collected anthropological data from inhabitants of all Latvian cultural and historical regions. The data included body and skull dimensions, eye and hair colour, etc. Krēsliņš’ portraits had this information carefully written on the back of the photos.
“Latvians are of medium stature, often larger, strong, and well proportioned. Obesity is rare. The head is mostly long and wide. The face is generally oval, rarely broad or angular, cheekbones do not protrude, and only in exceptional cases is the face too long or too narrow. Face colour, although not pink, is not pale. The nose is straight and slightly long, but there are also short and wide shapes. The mouth is medium size, teeth are mostly well and straight, and lips are full but not thick. Of women in general, the same can be said, only the colour of the face, especially in younger women, is pink, and some of them are beautiful.”
This description was compiled by anthropologist Otto Gustav Friedrich Waeber (1852–1920) based on his observation and measurements of 60 men and 40 women in Grobiņa county, Nīca, Pērkone, Bārta and Krūte townships.
Visiting Latvians on the Curonian Spit
In the summer of 1895, teacher and writer Pēteris Ābols (Abuls) went to southern Kurzeme and to the Latvian-speaking inhabitants of the Curonian Spit where he documented stories about traditions, daily life, housing, and clothing and photographed and surveyed various items.
During the preparation of the Latvian ethnographic exhibition, Ābols was a secretary of the Riga Latvian Society Museum, so he was actively involved in collecting materials for the exhibition, including the preparation of drawings and photographs.
It is not known how many pictures Ābols took from the expedition, but it seems he was not interested in photography. Only four of his photographs have been preserved in the museum’s collection. This is regrettable in that, unlike Krēsliņš who photographed mostly portraits, Ābols captured the environment of traditional life. More such photographs, along with Ābols’ expedition reports published in the newspaper “Baltijas Vēstnesis”, would be a valuable source of information.
Colourising black and white photos
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Osips Bimblis’ portrait. Rēzekne county Bukmuiža township Novomisļi village. 1895. Photo Jānis Krēsliņš
In the summer and autumn of 1895, Jānis Krēsliņš travelled to Latgale, in those days the Latvian part of Vitebsk province – Rēzekne, Ludza, and Daugavpils counties with a camera, pencils, paper, and measuring instruments. The expedition resulted in 188 photographs that were included in the Riga Latvian Society Museum collection – portraits and group shots of local people. The interest in the life and culture of Latgale and the Latgalian dialect was an important stimulus to realise that people living there was a part of one Latvian nation.
In the second half of the 19th c., it was not possible to discern all the details in black and white photographs. If they were visible in dark areas of the image, bright areas (such as faces) were without halftones: details in bright areas of the image disappeared in the shadows. Photographers usually opted for marking some of the details lost in the image by retouching and adding watercolours. The artists painted people’s faces, costumes, and landscapes. This allowed to show the natural colours at least partially and “revive” the photographed image. Krēsliņš colourised his photos with oil paints, but some of his photographs later served as the basis for his drawings.
Grandmother’s and grandfather’s festive dress
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Owner of the Babas homestead Stūris in traditional dress of the Ventspils region. Ventspils county Vārve township. 1895. Photo Ernests Jakobsons
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Owner of the Kalēji homestead in traditional dress of the Ventspils region. Ventspils county Vārve township. 1895. Photo Ernests Jakobsons
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Woman in traditional dress of the Ventspils region. Ventspils county Vārve township. 1895. Photo Ernests Jakobsons
Teacher Ernests Jakobsons joined Jānis Krēsliņš’ expedition to Kurzeme on Easter 1895 and collected materials around Ventspils. Eight of Jacobsons’ photos have been preserved; the technical quality is poor, and they have no lasting value in the history of photography, but they have ethnographic value. The people photographed are specially dressed in the traditional clothing of their parents or grandparents, which may date back to the 1820s, but their creation is probably even earlier. Thus, the photograph shows garment details and how they were worn, which does not relate to the time when the photograph was taken, but rather captures the traditions of wearing the garment at a time when a photograph was not yet available.
See the next stand: Latvians in the focus of researchers from other nations
See the previous stand: The Latvian ethnographic exhibition. Riga. 1896