August 19, 1902: First amateur photography club founded in Prague
World Photography Day is observed annually on August 19th to celebrate the art of photography and its roots globally. On this day in 1902 the first amateur photography club was founded in Prague.
The history of World Photography Day can be traced back to August 19, 1837, when the French government purchased the patent for the daguerreotype process and announced it as a gift “free to the world.” This groundbreaking invention, created by Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, revolutionized the field of photography and laid the foundation for the art form as we know it today.
The beginnings of the amateur photographers' club In Prague were very modest, but it soon became a respected institution with branches all over Bohemia. In 1902, the club split into a Czech and a German club. The club focused on the artistic value of photography.
It cooperated with outstanding photographers of the time, such as V.J. Bufka, F. Drtikol and the Czech-American D.J. Růžička. Josef Sudek was also a member of the club. The club managed to preserve a significant part of its written documents and photographs throughout its existence. Since 2001, these valuable artefacts have been stored in the depositories of the National Archives of the Czech Republic.
