Photography Collection

The arrival of photography in Spain dates back to the mid-19th century and soon spread throughout the country’s main cities, driven by technological innovations and new business opportunities. Initially, photography developed through studio portraits, but later, with the advent of more portable cameras and films more sensitive to light, it became possible to capture outdoor images, immortalizing public events and everyday scenes.
This collection mainly includes images from the Uriach family sphere, among them studio portraits by renowned photographers such as the Napoleon brothers (Antoni and Emili Fernández) and Pau Audouard, as well as family photographs taken outdoors.

In 1919, Uriach decided to move its headquarters to new, larger, and more efficient facilities in Barcelona’s most modern and industrial district, the Eixample. To immortalize this important event, a photographic session was organized, resulting in this set of images made possible by the evolution of new portable cameras, constructed of wood, metal, and leather, that used bellows for focusing, glass lenses, simple mechanical shutters, and a tripod to ensure stability and sharpness, especially in low-light indoor conditions.

This collection of images offers insight into what a company like Uriach was like and what it did in the early 20th century, through snapshots of the drugstore, offices, laboratories, warehouses, and more.

In the 1960s, the decision was made to portray the company’s new and modern laboratories. To this end, Agustí Centelles, one of the finest Spanish photojournalists, was commissioned. After the Civil War, he turned to industrial photography to avoid reprisals from the regime. Armed with his Leica camera, Centelles captured images of great beauty and artistic value of the company’s facilities. Ten years later came Català-Roca, a renowned photographer who, with his Hasselblad camera, immortalized Uriach’s facilities, events, and people for more than 20 years. Thanks to these two unique artists, this extensive collection offers images from a period of great importance for the country’s industry.