Parliamentary Library acquires largest private collection of century-old photographic history

Thousands of iconic and never-before-seen photographs from the largest private collection in Georgia have been acquired by the National Parliamentary Library and will illustrate one of the most lively periods in the country's history in displays at the venue.

Tbilisi's major library revealed this week it had obtained 2,800 photographs never before found either at museums or online, showing people, locations and life in Georgia between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries.

Director Giorgi Kekelidze told a Georgian Public Broadcaster programme on Friday the photos showed history of ordinary people in Georgia, in contrast to the official historiography that is often focused on royal and noble families.

A gathering of a trade community ("amkari") in front of a Tbilisi pub in the 1910s, with then-undiscovered paintings by Georgia's internationally recognised primitivist artist Pirosmani visible on walls in the background. Photo via Levan Taktakishvili on Facebook.

Portraits of individuals, group photographs featuring buildings of historical importance, and even images showing pieces of artwork that later became famous can be found on the exhibits that will now find their space at the library.

Demonstrated at a GPB live programme, one of the photographs is of a 1910s gathering of a trade community at the 'Eldorado' pub in Tbilisi's old town, with walls on the background showing works by Pirosmani, a self-taught primitivist painter from Georgia later recognised around the world.

The paintings are shown in the photograph before they - and Pirosmani - were discovered in the capital city by avant-garde artists Kirill and Ilia Zdanevich and gained first local and then international importance.

Bicycle sports pioneer Vasil Jorjadze seen in a Tbilisi park in a photograph obtained by the library as part of the collection. Photo via National Parliamentary Library of Georgia.

Another photo demonstrated at the TV channel's programme shows one of the earliest sound recording sessions involving folk performers from Georgia's countryside, as an effort for preserving the rich musical and vocal tradition from provinces of the country.

Vasil Jorjadze, an early enthusiast and promoter of bicycle sports in Georgia was shown in another image, with well-known entrepreneurs and citizens of Tbilisi in the late 19th century featured in others.

The photographs have been verified as originals and were kept in special folders for preserving their state by the family of collector Baadur Koblianidze, who said it "would not be right for a material of this size to be kept in a family cupboard" while it could gain public exposure and become available to historians.

Wrestlers are photographed ahead of a competition in one of the photos, with their names identified below. Photo via National Parliamentary Library of Georgia.

History researcher Luarsab Togonidze said the collection would serve "numerous researchers"  involved in subjects ranging from Tbilisi history to architecture to costume design after becoming public.

Togonidze also told the GPB programme the collection represented works by effectively all photographers and photo artists who created works in Georgia at the time, including pioneering photographer Aleksander Roinashvili, who himself is found in one of the photos.

On its part the Parliamentary Library - which spent the last two years in talks for obtaining the collection - said it would process the photohraphs to identify personalities, dates and context in them before opening them up for public display in the near future.