Pop Szathmari Carol was born in Cluj, on 11 January 1812, from a wealthy family, with origins in Satu Mare. He started a religious education at the Reformed College in Cluj, where he starts to draw, but quickly drop to a possible religious career. Follow for a short time the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, but quit in favor of a bohemian life and travels a lot around Europe.
In 1835 is established in Pest, which collaborates with painter Anton Chladek. Is set in Bucharest in 1843 and began painting landscapes and portraits of the nobility and enjoyed great success. Done portraits of princes of the Romanian Country, including Gheorghe Barbu Bibescu and Stirbei. Continue to travel, always accompanied by block-notess site, which made numerous sketches of men whom he met, especially peasants.
Starting in 1848 begins to experience the picture, especially to make work for the most faithful portrait and landscape. Start with calotipii and then wet-collodion process works after. She opens a photo studio in Bucharest, the rods, but it will be consumed by fire, four years later.
During the Russo-Turkish War, shooting numerous portraits of Russian officers, French, English and Turkish. In 1854, he charged the camera and the laboratory in a cart and traveled to Oltenita and Silistra, to take photos on the front. Gather around two hundred of photos taken during the Russo-Turkish War and made an album that was presented at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1855, where he was awarded a medal. Szathmari album presents Emperor Napoleon III, in a private meeting. A few months later, shows album Queen Victoria of the British Empire, from receiving a gold medal. Other albums have been donated: Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, Tsar Alexander II of Wurttemberg Regeleui or Grand Duke Carl Alexander of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach.
Opens a new photographic studio, now on Calea Victoriei (then Mogosoaia Bridge), which had large windows and curtains, which could match the intensity of light inside. Shall be equipped with sets made of logs, wooden fences, rocks, shrubs, tree branches and even blocks of ice to suggest Outdoor atmosphere. Some of his photos have been transposed into lithographs in the workshop.
In 1860 he published his first illustrated magazine in Bucharest, Journal Universal Illustrated with engravings brought from Paris but engravings made by personal photos. The magazine came about a year.
In 1863 is appointed official painter and photographer Alexandru Ioan Cuza and made portraits of Prince and the Princess official Helen. Photographs were then transposed into lithographs in Paris. In the same year made an album of photographs of landscapes taken around Bucharest, for Princess Elena, the first page of the album is written dedication: "Souvenir from Roumanie, dedicated to the Serenissima Altes Helene, Roumanie Princesse the kingdom, even Charles Pap The Szathmari, Peintre et Son photographe the Cour de Altes Serenissima kingdom to Prince. "
Travels a lot by country and numerous photos and sketches made by peasants, merchants, gypsies or craftsmen, dressed in suits or holiday work, and landscapes, historical and religious monuments.
In 1864 the Ottoman Empire is decorated with the Order Medgidia for photographs and his paintings. In the same year became a member of the French Society of Photography.
1866 Prince Charles became the photographer of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and he accompanies his travels across the country, official moments drawings or photographs, landscapes, churches, monasteries and villagers in traditional costumes.
In 1869 made the photo album "Romania" which included illustrations of landscapes and historical monuments and another with pictures of the Metropolitan Court of Arges.
Photo exhibit at the Universal Exhibition (1867) from Paris and from Weltausstellung (1873) Vienna, where he obtained various medals.
In 1870 he joined the Society Szathmari photo in Vienna.
In 1877 Prince Carol accompanies the battle front in the War of Independence. Prince performs photos surrounded by staff, with foreign military attaches, with military camps, inspecting troops, military hospitals, etc.. Photos taken on this occasion were collected in 1877 Resbelul album â € "1878, bound in leather, with handwritten captions, the author. Many of the photos in this album have been republished as L'Illustration Magazines, Illustrated London News, Zeitung Illustrirte? And Resboiul.
In 1881, at the coronation of Prince Charles as King, made a series of photographs of the festivities, along with photographer Andreas Reiser. Bad weather prevented the development of quality photos, however, they were used for lithographs, pulbicate later in an album.
Pop Szathmari Carol died in Bucharest on June 3, 1887.
Photographic studio remained functional until 1944 when he was hit by bombings.
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Endowed with great talent and artistic sense, Carol Pop Szathmari picture remained in history by bringing to the attention of the public to war photography, architectural and ethnographic photography. Szathmari noticed the importance of time and capture the atmosphere of intense use photography to capture his portraits. Obtain images with outstanding views of Bucharest and its surroundings, looking for unusual angles and making a few panoramas. Many of his photographs are in collections scattered across the world. In 2011 I.C.R. Stockholm premiere photos of Szathmari exposed, placed in the collection of Prince Eugen of Sweden (1865 - 1947), currently in the Royal Library collections.
