The Presidential Library and the Karl Bulla Historical Photography Foundation continue to form the documentary history of Russia

One of the first large-scale cooperation examples between the state depository and the private fund is steadily gaining momentum. The Presidential Library and the Karl Bulla Historical Photography Foundation are planning a new joint project - an exhibition of the creative legacy of the Bulla dynasty, which will also be presented in Germany.

The choice of this country for broad representation of the creative legacy of the Bulla dynasty is not accidental: the Russian-German intertwining of epochs, events and destinies has always been present in the history of this talented family. So, for example, Karl Bulla was born into a German family in the Prussian province, but almost all his life he lived in Petersburg. The famous photo correspondent was able to raise no less famous masters, the successors of the family business. His children, Alexander and Victor, received training in Russia and Germany. Grandson of Karl Bulla (son of Victor) Yuri, also a photographer, was missing at the Great Patriotic War.

The legacy of the Bulla dynasty is a unique chronicle of the Russian history of the turn of the XIX and XX centuries. When you leaf through albums with photos of Karl Bulla, his sons and grandson, it seems that this talented family has documented all the important events that took place in Russia during these watershed years.

Karl Bulla filmed the royal family, the daily life of the city and extraordinary events, the arrival of foreign delegations, the most important events in the life of the empire. In the lens of Karl Bulla came the iconic figures of his time: S. Marshak, K. Chukovsky, I. Repin, F. Chaliapin, N. Roerich, L. Tolstoy and many others.

Bulla's brothers, who also worked with both camera and a cine camera, were also constantly in the thick of the events of the great and terrible turning-point that had fallen to them. The younger Bulla, Victor, became famous as a military photojournalist during the Russo-Japanese War; Senior, Alexander, filmed the First World War.

Today, August 1, 2018, on the birthday of Victor Karlovich Bulla, Nevsky Prospekt, 54, where Victor Karlovich was arrested (later he was shot), a sign "Last Address" was installed. The staff of the Presidential Library took part in this event.

The Presidential Library and the Karl Bulla Historical Photography Foundation are actively implementing the formation of a documentary history of Russian statehood. Currently, the Presidential Library has digitized 226 copies of photographs of different years made by Karl Bulla, his sons and grandson. Earlier, the electronic collections the Presidential Library have been enriched with the publication "The First Photo Journalist of Russia Karl Bulla", then the "Bulla Dynasty: Karl, Alexander, Victor, Yuri" photo album was donated from the Karl Bulla Foundation.

In addition, joint events are regularly held, new projects are being implemented. One of the last major events was the opening in autumn 2017 of the joint photo exhibition "Russia's Spaces in Color Photography" in honor of the 100th anniversary of the last creative expedition of photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky. In 2017 the Presidential Library within the framework of the Knowledge Forum hosted the presentation of the book by I. I. Svetov "The First Photo Journalist of Russia Karl Bulla". The event took place within the framework of the science education conference "Photo and Newsreel of Russia: Document, Art, History".