Masinės kultūros užuomazgos Kretingos ir Palangos Tiškevičių nuotraukų rinkiniuose. Senoji fotografija ir jos tyrimo galimybės

ENThe object of the article are hitherto little researched photographs and their collections which once belonged to the Palanga and Kretinga branches of the Tiškevičius (Tyszkiewicz) family and a servant of Kretinga manor and which today are stored in Kretinga museum. When analysing photography and accumulation and storage of photographs the author dwells on new cultural practices which mark the transition from the representational portrait, indicating a rather limited financial and social status, to the understanding that alongside episodes of public life that are relevant to a person or a family, private life is also penetrable and can be subjected to photography. Starting from around 1890 expansion of amateur photography had been observed thus resulting in an increase in albums of family pictures and variations of such albums that were close to portrait painting, i.e. collections of individual or group portraits hung on walls. Just like photography gradually replaced painted representational portraits, at the turn of the 20th century such historical forms of family memorabilia as silva rerum, dedications and picture albums were replaced by personal photographs accumulated in family albums which initially were referred to as family museums. Three different types of photograph albums are stored in Kretinga museum, namely album-collection, autobiographical album and family album. Owner of the first album was servant of the manor Stefanija Šostak, the second one belonged to the owner of Kretinga manor Aleksandras Tiškevičius (Aleksander Tyszkiewicz) and the third album belonged to the family of Count Feliksas and Countess Antanina Tiškevičiai of Palanga.Elements of kitsch and germs of mass culture are detectable in the photograph collection owned by the servant of the manor Šostak which explicitly manifest through the ability to arouse shock and astonishment. Among other things, analysis of this album gives an insight into the emotions of a modern individual. Examination of the second – autobiographical – photo collection revealed that this collection, distinguished for several anomalous and personal photographs, may be a private ritual and pleasure whose significance in all probability increases with the stratification of memory. The third type of photo album evidences the closeness of family relations. It contains exceptionally pictures of the closest circle of family members manifesting slender variety of pastime activities. Photographs of this type are characterized by strong bonds to memory and recollections. Sharing of stories about the past is a part of the process of creating a family, thus through memory related practices, such as photography, families trace the boundaries of themselves and their memories. Probably the most clear-cut and influential example of such process of family creation are photo albums showing children growing up. [From the publication]