The exhibition “Moment. Colour. Mirror. Autochrome Collection”

With the start of 2025, the relocation of the Latvian Museum of Photography to the Art Academy of Latvia building at 4 Kronvalda Boulevard has been successfully completed. To celebrate this milestone, the museum’s public space will host the exhibition “Moment. Colour. Mirror. The Autochrome Collection“ from January 17, presenting this unique collection from the early 20th century for the first time in the museum’s history.

Shortly after 1907, when the autochrome—the first commercially successful color photography process—was patented by the Lumière brothers, Latvian photographers began creating color photographs on glass plates. Due to their fragile nature, relatively few autochromes have survived. The Latvian Museum of Photography holds the second-largest collection of autochromes in Latvia, consisting mainly of still lifes, landscapes, and portraits by Eduards Gaikis (1881–1961). The research process has also identified autochromes preserved in other museums and private collections, providing insight into the number of such works available in Latvia.

“Autochromes are not only aesthetically beautiful but also transform our perception of a historical period that is usually seen only in black and white. It is emotionally moving to discover what photographers chose to capture in color first. These are precious memories entrusted to fragile pieces of glass,” says Džūlija Rodenkirhena, museum historian and exhibition curator. The exhibition is designed by Antra Augustinoviča.

The exhibition is open every weekday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.