The Compostela of the 20th century immortalized on postcards by the Parisian photographer Lucien RoisinL.Roisin
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140 years ago he was born in Paris Lucien Roisin Besnarda French photographer and editor who bequeathed a file that is today visual historyfrom many areas of Spain, including Santiago de Compostela. Established in Barcelona, Roisin is known for his prolific postcard production that captured the essence of various places and turned it into a chronicler of his time.
Cover of L. Roisin’s notebook with 20 postcards from Santiago. Black and white photogravure; 9x15cm
The legacy of Lucien Roisin
Lucien Roisin dedicated himself mainly to postcard businessa very popular medium in the first half of the 20th century to share images of places then far away. From its store on Rambla de Santa Mónica in Barcelona, The Postcard HouseRoisin and her family maintained a thriving business until 1962.
The House of Postcards, L. Roisin’s store in Barcelona
Its photographic archive is vast, with more than 77,000 images that include both negatives and postcards, and that demonstrate their dedication and passion for photography. The postcards, related to the tourism promotionwere produced from photographs, both your own and those of third parties. Due to the lack of documentation and the large number of images distributed by “Roisin Postcards“, these photographers could not be identified.
Regardless of this, his work not only documented landscapes and architecturesbut also captured daily life and traditions of the people who lived in those places.
Platerías Fountain between 1940 and 1950
Santiago de Compostela through the lens of Roisin
Among the numerous towns that Roisin immortalized,Santiago de Compostelaoccupies a prominent place. Postcards of the city created by Roisin offer a fascinating glimpse into early 20th centuryshowing so much iconic monuments as Scenes from everyday life.
Among the images he took, and which appear collected in Galiciana, the Digital Library of Galiciathere are several of the Santiago’s cathedralamong them that of tomb of the Count of Trabain the Chapel of the Relics. Roisin also stopped at the Royal Chapel of Hostal dos Reis Católicosspecifically in the entrance gate from the 16th centurycoming from Toledo workshops and protected as monument since 1912.
The impressive ones buttresses and the interior of the Colexiata de Sara medieval monument from the 12th century, were also immortalized in Roisin’s postcards who, in addition to the church, portrayed other spaces of the university city of Santiagolike the Renaissance building of the Fonseca College or the university cloister.
Fonseca School between 1910 and 1928
In the Cervantes and Platerías squaresRoisin documented scenes that stand out the architecturebut also activity that gave life to these public spaces. In his prints, she captured images of women carrying water on their headsa typical image of the daily life of the time that shows the daily work of Compostela women at the beginning of the last century.
