Johannes Pääsuke
Encyclopedia
Johannes Pääsuke was an Estonia
n photographer and filmmaker.
, Livonia, Russian Empire
. Johannes's siblings were well educated, but all that is known about Johannes's own education is that he studied photography. On his own account, he started photography at fifteen, in 1907, and it is likely that he contacted the Estonian National Museum
(ERM) in 1912, having already taken photographs in various places in Estonia.
In 1913, Pääsuke began a project for the ERM to document Estonia's lands, trades and architecture through photography and the collection of artifacts.
A major part of this project was a tour Pääsuke made with an assistant, H. Volter, to the Estonian coast, from 10 June to 29 July 1913. The two traveled most of the way by foot, carrying the normal luggage and also cameras, a tripod, plates and so forth. Three hundred and seventeen photographs remain from this trip, many of Saaremaa
and Muhu
. Pääsuke's work was highly appreciated by ERM, which opened an exhibition of the photographs on 2 August 1913.
Pääsuke is known to have taken more than 1,300 photographs on glass plates in this national ethnographic project, which also included two larger series, one made in 1908–13 across much of the south of the nation, and the other made in 1914 in Tartu
.
Pääsuke was also the first Estonian to make a film. He made about 40 films in his career with 10 films still in existence − five newsreels, four documentaries, and one work of fiction, the political satire Bear Hunt in Pärnu County
(Karujaht Pärnumaal
).
In 1915, Pääsuke was conscripted to serve as a second-rank infantryman in the reserve battalion of the Lithuanian Regiment of the Foot Guards; he was mobilized on 8 September and was in St Petersburg on 14 November. He managed to be recognized as a photographer, receiving a camera by the end of the month, and continued his photographic activities both in Russia proper and in Estonia.
Pääsuke died in a train accident in 1918 in Orsha
, Belarus
.
as his work, and suspected that more among the unidentified were also by him. The photographs are of buildings, people, and activities, taken on a 13×18cm or other plate camera.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n photographer and filmmaker.
Life
Very little is known of the youth of Johannes Pääsuke, the fourth of six children to a comfortably-off couple living in TartuTartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
, Livonia, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Johannes's siblings were well educated, but all that is known about Johannes's own education is that he studied photography. On his own account, he started photography at fifteen, in 1907, and it is likely that he contacted the Estonian National Museum
Estonian National Museum
The Estonian National Museum founded 1909 in Tartu is a museum devoted to folklorist Jakob Hurt's heritage, to Estonian ethnography and folk art...
(ERM) in 1912, having already taken photographs in various places in Estonia.
In 1913, Pääsuke began a project for the ERM to document Estonia's lands, trades and architecture through photography and the collection of artifacts.
A major part of this project was a tour Pääsuke made with an assistant, H. Volter, to the Estonian coast, from 10 June to 29 July 1913. The two traveled most of the way by foot, carrying the normal luggage and also cameras, a tripod, plates and so forth. Three hundred and seventeen photographs remain from this trip, many of Saaremaa
Saaremaa
Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...
and Muhu
Muhu
Muhu , is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 198 km² it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa....
. Pääsuke's work was highly appreciated by ERM, which opened an exhibition of the photographs on 2 August 1913.
Pääsuke is known to have taken more than 1,300 photographs on glass plates in this national ethnographic project, which also included two larger series, one made in 1908–13 across much of the south of the nation, and the other made in 1914 in Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
.
Pääsuke was also the first Estonian to make a film. He made about 40 films in his career with 10 films still in existence − five newsreels, four documentaries, and one work of fiction, the political satire Bear Hunt in Pärnu County
Pärnu County
Pärnu County , or Pärnumaa , is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga, and borders Lääne and Rapla counties to the north, Järva and Viljandi counties to the east, and Latvia to the south...
(Karujaht Pärnumaal
Karujaht Pärnumaal
Karujaht Pärnumaal is the first Estonian narrative film 1914, directed by Johannes Pääsuke....
).
In 1915, Pääsuke was conscripted to serve as a second-rank infantryman in the reserve battalion of the Lithuanian Regiment of the Foot Guards; he was mobilized on 8 September and was in St Petersburg on 14 November. He managed to be recognized as a photographer, receiving a camera by the end of the month, and continued his photographic activities both in Russia proper and in Estonia.
Pääsuke died in a train accident in 1918 in Orsha
Orsha
Orsha is a city in Belarus in Vitebsk voblast on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers.-Facts:*Location: *Population: 125,000 *Phone code: +375 216*Postal codes: 211030, 211381–211394, 211396–211398-History:...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
.
Photography
Pääsuke is notable as an ethnophotographer, a supplier of photographic documentation to the Estonian National Museum (ENM) in Tartu. By 2003, the ENM had identified 1305 photographs and 723 glass negativesPhotographic plate
Photographic plates preceded photographic film as a means of photography. A light-sensitive emulsion of silver salts was applied to a glass plate. This form of photographic material largely faded from the consumer market in the early years of the 20th century, as more convenient and less fragile...
as his work, and suspected that more among the unidentified were also by him. The photographs are of buildings, people, and activities, taken on a 13×18cm or other plate camera.
Filmography
- Utotškini lendamised Tartu kohal (Flights of Utotškin, 1912)
- Utotškini lend (1912)
- Tartu linn ja ümbrus (1912)
- Ajaloolised mälestusmärgid Eestimaa minevikust (Historical memories of the Estonian past, 1913)
- Retk läbi Setumaa (1913)
- Karujaht PärnumaalKarujaht PärnumaalKarujaht Pärnumaal is the first Estonian narrative film 1914, directed by Johannes Pääsuke....
(Bear hunt in Pärnu county, 1914) (Available as 12MB mpeg file.)