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Jindřich Bišický (11 February 1889 i
Zeměchy
now part of

Kralupy nad Vltavou Kralupy nad Vltavou (; ) is a town in Mělník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It is known as a traffic hub and industrial agglomeration. Administrative division Kralupy nad Vltavou c ...

– 31 October 1949 in Velvary) is known as the author of unique photographs from

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was not properly identified until 2009.

Early life

Jindřich Bišický was born in a small village in 1889. After apprenticeship as a bricklayer, he studied technical school in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Smíchov Smíchov () is, since 1922, a district and cadastral area of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, and is part of Prague 5. It is on the west bank of the Vltava river. History It was only on 22 February 1903, that Smíchov was elevated to ...

with 1906 practice in Drohobycz (Galicia), in the reconstruction of an oil refinery. His mandatory 10-month-long military service was in Trient, as a military sketcher.

Military photography

At the beginning of

Bišický was drafted into the Austrian Infantry regiment No. 47 in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

and became a member of the staff and the regimental photographer. The regiment first fought on the Eastern Front, in Galicia; in 1915 it moved to the Italian Front and stayed there until the end of war. Lieutenant (and later Captain) Bišický took hundreds of photographs of the life in the trenches, using the ICA Ideal camera.

Death

One year before the end of the war, while on leave, Bišický married Zdenka Pekárková. After the war, the family moved to Velvary and Bišický worked as building contractor until his death by stomach cancer in 1949.

Restoration of photographs

Bišický's negatives, many on

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

, were lent away and lost. During the 1970s they were obtained, unrecognized, by photographe
Jaroslav Kučera
(1949). In 2002 Kučera started to restore them, and, with the help of historians, identified many locations and events. The author remained unknown. In 2009 the photos were exhibited in the

Prague Castle Prague Castle (; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for List of rulers ...

and only then recognized by the photographer's grandson, historian Michal Rybák.

Literature

* Ludwig von Vogelsang: ''Das steierische Infanterieregiment Nr 47 im Weltkrieg'', Leykam-Verlag, Graz, 1932. The book about the history of the 47th infantry regiment, written by regimental historian and descendant of Ludwig von Vogelsang (1748 - 1822), owner of the regiment. The book contains about 200 photos by Jindřich Bišický.

External links

Czech author of unique war photos identified
(2009 article) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bisicky, Jindrich 1889 births 1949 deaths Czech photographers