Get a glimpse of the joys and sorrows of life in 20th century Bulgaria
1950s Bulgarian beach photo. Image: Deynislav Doychev
21 July 2021
Text:
Paula Erizanu
The Bulgarian Visual Archive is an extraordinary collection of vintage photos spanning the 20th century. Viewers can flick through the archive on the project’s website, or discover it at a slower pace, via the Instagram account @visualarchive.bg.
Mixing portraiture with snapshots of everyday life, the archive provides a glimpse into the joys and sorrows that the tumultuous 20th century brought to Bulgarian families.
Built entirely from donated photographs, the archive was set up by photo collector Tihomir Stoyanov and photographer Johana Trayanova. The duo told The Calvert Journal that they started the collection to “share Bulgarian history and lifestyle through Bulgarian family photographs”. Now, they hope to continue the project to “discuss and preserve the past for the next generation”.
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