Figure 1.--This image is not identified. There is some difference of opinion as to who it is and when the photograph was taken.

The images in the pages for these Budapest brothers are all neatly identified with the brothers first name on the back and usually with the date. They are all studio portraits. We also have one unidentified snap shot, which is not a studio portrait. There is some disagreement as to which boy it is and when the photograph was taken.

Pisti

The collector who has contributed these images of the Budapest brothers reports that this image is not a CDV or Cabinet Card and does not bear any photographers information. It is about 3.50 inches by 4.75 inches. He writes, "I think it was probably taken by the boys' father. The boy looks to be about 3 or 4 years old which is the difference in age between Pisti and Viki. So I would date it at around 1894."

Fredy

HBC would date the image a little differently. We would date it at about 1909 and think the boy involved may be the younger brother Fredy.

Photography

One reason HBC believes that the photograph may have been taken in the 1900s is primarily because outdoor family snap shots before 1900 are rare. A father needs to have been a rather serious amateur to have taken pictures in the 1890s. I notice all the other images are obviously studio shots. The Kodak Brownie appeared in 1900. This made snap shots posible for anyone. Thus I would guess this photograph was taken in the 1900s rather than the 1890s. He looks to me a bit like the younger boy, Fredy, and we would probably date it about 1909 as we know his age.

The collector providing us these images points out that snap shots before the Kodak Brownie may be rare but certainly not impossible. George Eastman started making and selling cameras in the late 1880s. HBC reader has done a little research and the image size of the photogrph here (3 1/4" x 4 1/4") (figure 1) corresponds exactly with that produced by the Eastman #3 camera which was sold between 1890 and 1897 Information is available on these box cameras. The boys father was obviously fairly affluent and could easily afford such luxuries. As an example of the use of cameras before the introduction of the Brownie, readers may want to look at a photo of the boys at Suffield Park School. The boy standing at the right of the picture is holding a camera in his right hand. It looks to be a No. 2 Bulls Eye Kodak whic was produced from 1895. The Suffield Park photograph can definitely be dated before 1900, probably 1898, as there are later dated pictures of one of the boys in the group shot.

HBC entirely agrees that there are outside amateur photographs taken before 1900. The Suffield Park School photograph was surely taken by a professional photographer. Such portraits are relatively common. Much less common are amateur snap hts before 1900 and the Brownie. But as our HBC reader points out, they were cameras for amateurs and such snap shots do exist. The boys' clearly came fom an aflluent family and could afford to take such snap shot. The cameras before the Brownie, however, were no only expensise, but they were more complicated as was developing the film. This not only limited the amateur photographer to affluen individuals, but also individuals willing to commit time to such a hobby. But what HBC also notes is that almost all the available portraits are studio shots. If ther father did take amteur photograph, you would expect to see many more such photographs.

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Created: April 21, 2002
Last updated: April 22, 2002