Alexander, Adolfo

He was a German photographer (1822-1881) who settled in Argentina in 1855. Descended from a wealthy family involved in trade in northern Europe, he studied Geology and Mining Engineering. However, his inclination towards the fine arts drew him to the invention that was revolutionizing Europe and the world: the daguerreotype. Adolfo learned this new art form from two renowned masters: Carl Ferdinand Stelzner and Hermann Biow. He worked as a daguerreotypist in Hamburg and became a pioneer of the new art in Hamelin in 1849. In 1851, he traveled to South America. He arrived in Valparaiso and became a pioneer in introducing the daguerreotype in Chile. In that country, he took excellent shots of the mines in Capiapo and Valparaiso. Five years later, he settled in Mendoza, Argentina, but his studio was soon destroyed by an earthquake that devastated the city. In 1855, he relocated to Buenos Aires with his wife and five children, all dedicated to photography, and established another studio at Artes Street (now Carlos Pellegrini) 37. The majority of his work is housed in a private museum in San Miguel, which opened in 1989.