Undersecretary Schmidt hands over historic photographs of Chile to the National Library
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
With a ceremony held at the Ercilla Room of the National Library, Deputy Foreign Minister Fernando Schmidt handed over 157 unpublished photographic plates of early 20th century to the institution.
The donation, made by the Chilean citizen María Paz Escobar Mujica who lives in Miami, is a new contribution to the patrimonial heritage and visual memory of our country. Through the Consulate General of Chile in Miami, Mrs. Escobar donated to the Photographic and Digital Archive of the National Library a Gaumont stereoscope from the beginning of the 20th century along with the plates that show the urban environment of Santiago, its everyday and social life, as well as the Chilean coastline at the turn of the century.
During the event, which was also attended by Director of Cultural Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, Horacio del Valle, Undersecretary Schmidt was greatly proud “to be able to cooperate in the recovery of a heritage that, were it not for the arrangements made by the ministry, it would have fallen into the hands of people who do not attach the importance we do to it as a part of our history.”
In this regard, it should be noted that the photographic plates arrived in Chile via diplomatic bag on March 26, in six boxes that were neatly packed at our Consulate in Miami. These boxes include shots of Forestal Park, Alameda de las Delicias Avenue, Santa Lucía Hill, Santo Domingo Church, Cousiño Park, Londres and Paris Streets, the Cathedral, Plaza de Armas (Main Square), among others. Likewise, there are visual records of the Spring Festival, religious processions, portraits, as well as the summer life at the beaches of Quintero, Cartagena and La Cruces.
The plates were received in symbolic way by Magdalena Krebs, Director of Archives and Museums.
Undersecretary Schmidt thanked the various bodies involved in the materialization of this donation: DIRAC, the National Library, the officials responsible for the diplomatic bag, the Consulate in Miami, along with reaffirming the commitment to “rescue our heritage wherever this is found. He also highlighted the work that the Foreign Ministry is currently carrying out to recover its photographic files, this, within the framework of the bicentennial that this division will celebrate next year.
The donation is part of the ongoing policy of DIRAC, to support an everyday greater return of the national heritage existing abroad and attract more opportunities for cooperation from other countries, enabling a comprehensive enhancement of our heritage.
This donation should help to significantly enrich our collective visual memory, the work of researchers, historians, and architects, as well as promoting a greater protection and appreciation of our architectural heritage. This it is certainly an example to encourage further donations of this kind, which greatly enrich national culture.
