When we talk about wartime years, photography is supposed to reflect the dynamics and abundance of events. Contrary to these expectations in the surviving photographs depicting the Navy we do not many reportage-style shots in the modern sense of the word. Yet, even though mostly static, they allow us to imagine the events that preceded or followed the photographed moments.
The photographs presented in this album do not generally claim to be part of the art of “photography.” With one or two exceptions, studio portraits have not been included. And those taken outdoor with a clear authorial signature are few. In addition, their genuineness, especially of amateur ones, can be regarded as a contribution to the realism of the wartime theme. The merit of these photographs lies in their authenticity and in their transformation into instrument for documenting the era.
Viewing the war through photographic images raises various questions about the interdependence between the historical phenomenon of war and photography as a special craft or profession. The photographs in this album reflect the state of photography in Bulgaria at that time. The years of the First World War coincide with a period when photography in Bulgaria had not yet established itself as a serious craft regulated by the state, nor had it been proven as an art. In the early decades of the XX century, there was not yet a system for training professional photographers in the country. People who practiced it as a livelihood were either educated abroad or had “picked up” the craft while working as assistants in various studios. However, there were quite a few amateurs who acquired the necessary equipment to take photographs.
The presence of photographers on the battlefield during the First World War was decided by the Intelligence Section of the “Operational” Department of the Headquarters of the Active Army. The army commanders, division heads, and inspectors of military and divisional districts were specifically reminded: “The photographic pictures taken at the front by the active troops represent for the future a very valuable material, as they illustrate the military life of the Bulgarian soldier in today’s war. As valuable monuments, the photographic pictures taken among the military units should be collected, censored, and organized (by enlargement), so that the accurate and high-quality ones may be preserved for our future military museum, and this must begin now, because after the end of the war their collection and organization will be accompanied by difficulties.”
This is an excerpt from the order of the Chief of the Army Staff dated 13 November 1916, which also specifies the procedure for submitting photographs to foreign and Bulgarian publications, as well as the requirement that, in addition to professional photographers, amateurs should also be recruited within the units.
Although introduced later, the Guidelines for Military Photography and the Regulations for the Service of Military Photographers were the rules according to which military photographers should work.
In addition to ensuring photo documentation of Bulgaria’s participation in the war, in the order were clearly expressed restrictions: photographs taken by amateurs or official photographers attached to army headquarters to be submitted to the “Operational” Department of the Army Staff for censorship; it was forbidden to send photographs for publication “in magazines or illustrated editions, whether domestic or foreign,” without prior approval, and it was also prohibited to neglect the “Fatherland” (Otechestvo) magazine published by the Headquarters of the Active Army – “the most widely distributed in our army.”