The Balkans

Sarajevo as seen in the photographs of Paul Schulz taken between 1937 and 1945.

Source: Deutsche Fototek

Old photographs of Skopje, North Macedonia 🇲🇰

Part 3

Portraits by Dimitar Karastoyanov. Taken in the late 19th - early 20th century.

He was born in 1856 into the Karastoyanov family from Samokov, one of the most important families in the history of Bulgarian photography. He learned the craft from his father, Atanas Karastoyanov, who is regarded as one of the founders of photography in Bulgaria. Atanas worked for many years in Belgrade as a court photographer, where Dimitar and his brother Ivan Karastoyanov gained their early professional experience.

After the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878, Dimitar and his brother moved to Sofia and established the studio “Brothers Karastoyanovi.” Their studio quickly became well known and served members of Bulgaria’s political, cultural, and social elite. They also produced and distributed postcards, which were becoming increasingly popular at the time.

During the government of Stefan Stambolov, Dimitar faced political persecution and moved to Plovdiv.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, he returned to Sofia and opened a new studio on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard. There he photographed many important Bulgarian public figures, including writers such as Ivan Vazov, Aleko Konstantinov, and Konstantin Velichkov, as well as professors, politicians, actors, and military officers.

One of his most significant achievements was the publication of the 1912 photo album Old Sofia, which documented Sofia’s architecture and urban development.

He also photographed landscapes across Bulgaria, including the Musala, the Seven Rila Lakes, the Rhodope Mountains, and the Iskar Gorge.

During the First Balkan War, Karastoyanov worked as a military photographer attached to the Bulgarian General Staff. He documented military operations, photographed from an airplane over Adrianople, and recorded events such as the capture of Shukri Pasha. His photographs were published in European newspapers, including the Daily Mirror and Illustrated London News.

He died in 1919. His photographic legacy was continued by his son Bozhidar Karastoyanov, who later became court photographer to Boris III of Bulgaria.

Source: Visualizing Family, Gender Relations and the Body Archive, University of Graz