Eduardo Masferré (April 18, 1909 – June 24, 1995) was a
Filipino-
Catalan photographer who made important documentary reports about the lifestyle of
native people in the region of
the Cordillera in the
Philippines at the middle of 20th century. He is regarded as the ''Father of Philippine photography''.
Born in
Sagada in
Mountain Province
Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as ''Mountain'' in some foreign references. The name is usually short ...
in northern
Luzon, his father was a Spanish soldier who had emigrated from Spain in the late nineteenth century. Eduardo's marriage to Nena Ogues blessed him with six children.
In 1914, his father took their family to
Sant Feliu de Guíxols so that their children could study in
Catalonia. But in 1921, they returned to the Philippines. Eduardo finished his studies on the islands. His father eventually became a farmer and an Episcopalian priest.
In his early years, he became interested in photography. He was a self-taught photographer. When he returned to his hometown, he was devoted to take pictures of his surroundings among which were the native Igorots. His photos are mostly pictures of people rather than landscapes. At the same time, he began working with his father on the farm and in Episcopalian evangelism.
When World War II ended, he opened a photographic studio in
Bontoc Bontoc may refer to:
* Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines
* Bontoc, Southern Leyte, Philippines
* Bontoc people, an ethnic group from Central Luzon, Philippines
* Bontoc language
Bontoc (Bontok) (also called Finallig) is the native language ...
. His portraits are a visual documentary of the life stories of indigenous peoples in the
Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands.
Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges:
* Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America
** ...
. His subjects included ceremonies, rituals, and everyday life. There are estimates that place have some seven million photographs on this subject in the fifties made in
Bontoc Bontoc may refer to:
* Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines
* Bontoc, Southern Leyte, Philippines
* Bontoc people, an ethnic group from Central Luzon, Philippines
* Bontoc language
Bontoc (Bontok) (also called Finallig) is the native language ...
,
Kalinga, and
Ifugao. His photographs are intended to show the life of the natives from the point of view of someone who lives with them and with which it identifies, so it has a type
emic ethnographic value.
His photographs have been exhibited since the late eighties. Their first two exhibitions were held in
Manila in 1982 and 1983, then in
Copenhagen in 1984, and Tokyo in 1986. But his most prominent international recognition came from the International Photography Encounters in Arles in 1989. The following year,
Smithsonian Institution bought 120 prints of his works for the
National Museum of Natural History. The Museum of Yale University was also interested in his works. Since then, there have been many exhibitions of his work. Their study in the Philippines has become a museum and art center.
His book is titled meaning ''People of the Philippine Cordillera.'' ''Photographs 1934-1956'' and was published in 1988.
References
External links
Obituary* (Catalan
Eduardo Masferré, the Cordillera Central of the Philippines(Catalan) Eduardo Masferré, pare de la fotografia filipina / Revista de Girona 298/2016
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masferre, Eduardo
1909 births
1995 deaths
Filipino photographers
People from Mountain Province