About the Collection
The issue of the preservation of Miklós Szabó’s photo material had already come up by the beginning of the 1970’s. The archives of the museum contain some correspondence about this subject between the Education Department of the Town Council an Hajdúsági Museum.
Subject: Expansion of the Photo Collection
For the Education Department of the Town Council
January 5, 1972
Hajdúböszörmény
1./ It is a well-known fact that the Town has been spending a lot on recording the local events at an adequate level. These photos are presented in front of the Town Hall building. Afterwards, the material is taken to Hajdúsági Museum for including them in the Photo Collection. So far so good. However, by archiving the photos, they not only become property of the museum but also indispensable pieces of the archives, since they are unique copies. As such, they cannot leave the museum without the permission of the County Board.
2./ Let me reiterate my former request in a written form: in order that we could avoid similar inconvenient situations, I suggest that Miklós Szabó, teacher, appointed photographer of the Town Council, should hand over the negatives to Hajdúsági Museum on a monthly basis. In this way, we would not even preserve the valuables of the archives but also have the possibility of making copies later on.
I would like to emphasize that we must not accumulate photos for a period larger than one month, as the identification of the negatives would become impossible later.
János Bencsik
Director
Above correspondence proves that an agreement had been made in terms of placing the material of the ”Photo News” in the museum. It was made of 18 x 24 cm copies of the negatives displayed initially in front of the Town Hall and later on next to the department store in the main street, all the photos subtitled with information about the event represented.
HMFA.10833.27 Photo News in Kossuth Lajos Street /Photo: Zoltán Kovács
Below response arrived from the Education Department for the request concerning the collection:
January 31, 1972
Hajdúböszörmény
Placing the photos created by teacher Miklós Szabó in the archives of the museum can only occur in an expanded timeframe, (1-2 years), as the material can be needed for exhibitions and the previously mentioned preservation-related difficulties of handing them out could prevent their usage.
According to above mentioned requirements, negatives are going to be stored in the Municipal Culture Centre and can only be transferred to the archives of the museum after 1-2 years.
Preliminary identification of the negatives had already been requested from teacher Miklós Szabó.
Nemes László
Head of Department
A year later, director of the museum, János Bencsik addresses another letter to the department, requesting the negatives:
Subject: Accession for the Photo Archives
For Comrade Head of Department László Nemes
March 7, 1973
Hajdúböszörmény
Dear Comrade Head of Department,
Accession of the photo material created by Miklós Szabó and the Culture Centre has become expedient. According to our last agreement, the voluminous and valuable collection of negatives becomes achievable after about two years.
Part of the material that exceeds the two-year period should be handed over to the Photo Archives of Hajdúsági Museum, as time makes identification more and more challenging, besides, we are running the risk of inappropriate storage leading to deterioration etc.
I would like to inform you that director of the Culture Centre, Comrade Ferenc Szabó had requested returning some of the positives already registered in the Museum Archives. Parallel with what I have mentioned above, I suggested him to make copies of the desired pieces so that we could avoid damages or even perishing of the much-valued collection. Preserving it is our obligation.
Dr János Bencsik
director
During the 1970’s, this cooperation worked inadequately. Only a fraction of the negatives were handed over to the Museum, in addition, they were not archived and physically, they were placed in the local history storehouse instead of the photo storeroom. Most of the negatives created during this period remained at the Culture Centre or in the possession of Miklós Szabó.
Items of the Photo News, designated as ”indispensable pieces of the archives” was only partly archived in the museum. The enlarged and documented ones left at the Culture Centre were rescued from the cellar of the building in the past few years.
(Photo News came to an end in 2007 at the time of the reorganization of Sillye Gábor Culture Centre.)
Documented enlarged prints from the archives of the museum
A while ago, the issue of the photo material was brought up again and in May, 2021, the Collection was transferred to Hajdúsági Museum, all the material from the three locations is now in one place.
Besides the photos already in the possession of the museum, negatives gathering throughout the 40 years of active work, were granted by the family and were placed in the Photo Storeroom of the Museum. The majority of the material presented on past exhibitions were also handed over to the museum as a donation from the family.
The first steps of creating Miklós Szabó’s Photography Collection were taken in 2021 with the collaboration of the family, Hajdúsági Museum and the Local Government of Hajdúböszörmény. Decisions were made on the future of the legacy and about the maintenance of the archives.
Resources from the museum, the local government and tenders made it possible to launch the project of processing, archiving and publishing the photo material.
During last year, along with processing and digitalizing the material, we have set up a database with a website linked to it. Photo exhibition ”MY TOWN / HAJDÚBÖSZÖRMÉNY” opens in October accompanied with the publication of a catalogue.
Our objective is to maintain and preserve Miklós Szabó’s photo material, to pay tribute to his legacy and present his work and values to the public.
October 10, 2022
Hajdúböszörmény
Tamás Horváth / Hajdúsági Museum
