Port accessOn this occasion, the calendar will be illustrated with photographs from the early 20th century taken by Jesús de Echebarria e Ibargüengoitia, a native of Bilbao and a pioneer of stereoscopic photography on glass plates.
Through its annual calendar, the Port Authority of Bilbao once again continues to rediscover and promote the legacy of photographers who have portrayed the life and history of Bilbao and Bizkaia, with the river, the port and its people taking centre stage. On this occasion, the 2023 calendar has been illustrated with photographs taken by Jesús de Echebarria e Ibargüengoitia (Bilbao, 1882-1962), an outstanding amateur photographer of the early 20th century and a pioneer of stereoscopic photography on glass plates.
The thirteen photographs selected by the Port Authority to illustrate the cover and the twelve months of 2023 are taken in Bilbao and in nearby towns such as Erandio and Portugalete, depicting scenes of day-to-day life and port activity between 1911 and 1934 from the archive of the Echebarria Mugertza family. The originals are in black and white but have been digitally coloured for the calendar.
One of the earliest and best amateur photographers
The bulk of Jesús de Echebarria e Ibargüengoitia’s photographic work can be traced back to the 1910s, when he travelled to Paris and Berlin. His artistic works won him several prizes in
important competitions and attracted the attention of foreign publications, which described him as one of the earliest and best amateur photographers in Spain.
With the publication of some of the artist’s photographs, the Port Authority once again continues its efforts to commemorate the work of great photographers, as it has done in previous calendars with Eulalia Abaitua, Telesforo de Errazquin and Germán Elorza.
The calendar will be available for purchase at the Itsasmuseum Bilbao from Monday 28 November. An exhibition of the photographs selected for this occasion will be on display on the museum esplanade.
