Research of the archive of Giedraičiai family

When, in 2019, during the reconstruction of one house in Kaunas Žaliakalnis, an archive of photographs hidden since the beginning of the Second World War was discovered, it was like a treasure. Its owners and the true cultural-historical value became clear only after a long inquiry and research, which were undertaken by the photographer Svetlana Batura.
There are about 2,000 finds in the archive: photo negatives, glass plates, contact and photographic prints, packed in branded photo lab envelopes. This material covers the period from 1926 to 1940 and impresses with its variety of themes: here is the life of the Lithuanian army in an informal setting, and an expressive documentary of the city (mainly Kaunas); ethnographic images of various villages and towns, interwar portraits of people not only in the studio, but also in nature, in the interior, as well as their quotidian moments; shots of the scout movement and students’ everyday life and a collection of photographs from Switzerland. A collection of personal letters complements the rich treasure trove of images. The authorship of Giedraičiai indicated on the photo envelopes became the beginning of the inquiry and interesting discoveries.

Svetlana Batura – Photography Artist, Head of the Photography Study Programme at the Kaunas College Academy of Arts, Lecturer, Exhibition Curator, Director of the International Festival of Photography and Media Art. Current field of interest – interbellum photographic heritage, its research and description.