A biography of travel photographer Christian Paier (1839–1895)

Abstract

Christian Paier (1839–1895) is the pioneer of European travel photography and one of the first Europeans to have brought photographs of the Holy Land to Europe. In 1864, he bestowed an album with the photographs of the Holy Land to Emperor Franz Joseph, which earned him great renown. The paper at hand presents Paier’s biography, which has until recently remained largely deficient. It brings to light multiple new data on his education, diversified family life, as well as his frequent travels to the Middle East, first in the role of a lay missionary and then as a travel photographer. Paier was torn between the Middle East and his homeland. Owing to his frequent travels, his photographic legacy is scattered across the entire Mediterranean and Europe, currently comprising ninety-eight documented photographs.