Even here, the ”early days”, when amateurs photographed whatever they came across, without any consideration that an image should have some value, are becoming a thing of the past. Requirements of technique and particularly of the content of the pictures are becoming ever greater.
I. K. Inha, Yearbook of the Finnish Tourist Association 1896
Into Konrad Inha’s (1865-1930) career was one of exceptional talent in a variety of fields. He was a journalist, editor, translator and author, in addition to being a trailblazer in Finland in popularizing science, and in introducing cycling and conservation. He found photography to be the medium closest to him. As a photographer, he reached the same level of achievement as his friends and travelling companions, the artists Eero Järnefelt and Pekka Halonen, the composer Jean Sibelius and the author Juhani Aho, in their respective fields.
Inha was involved in the extensive national project of the period as both photographer and writer. He was a cultural tourist described as a civilized vagabond, who visited all the parishes of Finland. As an author, he was already recognized in his own time, and as a photographer, he has been given his recognized place as predicted by the author Aino Kallas.
Inha’s extensive though dispersed photographic legacy has aroused growing interest. His pictures have appeared in scholarly, artistic and journalistic connections. They have made him an integral figure of the cultural history of Finland, and many of the photographs are classics that are published repeatedly.
Much of Inha’s imagery is known solely through old prints, most of his original negatives having disappeared. However, archives have revealed previously unpublished prints, and negatives, for The Dream of the Landscape exhibition and its catalogue. New technology has made it possible to restore the brilliance of the original photographs.
Inha’s photographs reveal his awareness of the traditions and subjects of landscape art. Technical skill, composition and use of light make his landscapes Finland’s earliest examples of photographic art. Inha’s journey to Russian Karelia was one of the most important of its kind in the history of Karelianism, the interest of Finland’s artists and intellectuals in Karelia. The image of the landscapes of the Kalevala epic and its characters emerges in many ways specifically from Inha’s extensive collections of works. In this respect, he parallels Akseli Gallen-Kallela, who in turn visualized the mythological elements of the epic. The results of their work have become rooted in the visual culture of Finland.
The exhibits present Inha’s major photographic projects: Suomi kuvissa (Finland in Pictures) 1892-1896, Vienan-Karjalan kuvausmatka (A Photographic Expedition to Russian Karelia) from 1894, and a collection of photographs on agriculture in Finland commissioned for the Paris World’s Fair of 1900. A unique addition consists of a collection of photographs taken for the Geographical Society of Finland, which is now on show for the first time. This long-forgotten material is the most complete collection of Inha’s works and contains a great deal of material that has never been seen before.