Explore The Art in Early Photography 1840–1880: A Belvedere Exhibition on Nascent Art Forms

This exhibition, held in 1928-1929, explored the multifaceted connections between painting, sculpture, and the nascent medium of photography during its formative decades up to 1880. It drew upon research by curator Heinrich Schwarz concerning the Scottish painter and photographer David Octavius Hill.

The 12th special exhibition at the Upper Belvedere, titled 'Die Kunst in der Photographie der Frühzeit 1840–1880' (The Art in Early Photography 1840–1880), delved into a subject with tangential connections to the Belvedere's collection: photography. None of the 140 exhibited items listed in the catalogue originated from the museum's own holdings. The exhibition's core aim was to investigate the diverse relationships between painting, sculpture, and the innovative medium of the light image during its initial decades, concluding around 1880. The catalogue provides background information on the project. This exhibition was informed by the research of Belvedere curator Heinrich Schwarz, who later published an extensive monograph on the Scottish painter and photographer David Octavius Hill, two years after this exhibition. Directed by Franz Martin Haberditzl and curated by Heinrich Schwarz, the exhibition showcased early photographic works and explored their interplay with traditional art forms. Despite the lack of direct collection holdings, the exhibition was a significant scholarly undertaking, stemming from Schwarz's dedicated research into Hill's work. The catalogue for the exhibition is cited as a source for further information.