Bonnin, Mateo

After the death of his parents in 1887, he set off for South America. He traveled through several countries, including Peru, Brazil, and Chile, and settled in Argentina in 1901, where he found work as a photographer and correspondent. In 1905, he settled in Mar del Plata, where he opened his first studio. The following year, he opened the Bonnin cinematograph bar, and in 1908, he partnered with his brother-in-law, Manuel Suárez, to open a biograph in Bahía Blanca. He had a location on Lassalle promenade (made of wood) until it was demolished, and then reopened on the Francesa promenade in 1913. Two years later, he was appointed the official photographer of the Mar del Plata Golf Club and began traveling to the thermal hotel in Rosario de la Frontera, Salta province, during the winters. He also wrote plays and made several documentary shorts about Mar del Plata. Very skilled in business, he published his own postcards and released albums in 1912, 1913, 1915, and 1924.