Josef Sudek - Praha Prague - 1948

This is a rare copy of Praha / Prague by the legendary Czech photographer Josef Sudek published soon af the end of World War II in 1948. This first edition copy features 128 gravure reproductions of Sudek's stunning photographs and includes text in Czech together with some sections in English, Russian and French.

Sudek's exploration of Prague has been compared to Eugène Atget’s documentation of Paris. Both artists are celebrated for their comprehensive, poetic approaches to capturing the spirit of their cities​. This copy does have some significant signs of wear including a ripped cover - please see photos for more info.

A superb look at Prague as only Sudek show it - achingly Romantic, vaguely Pictorialist and seemingly suspended in time. Before the war, Sudek had trained as a bookbinder, but his injury made that vocation physically impossible. This loss steered him toward photography, which became not only a profession but also a means of creative and emotional expression.

Emerging after World War II, when Prague was rebuilding its identity amidst a rapidly modernizing Europe, Sudek’s work provides a counter-narrative to mechanized urban transformation. His photographs explore the coexistence of human history and nature within the urban setting. Drawing from his personal experiences, including the loss of his arm during World War I, Sudek approached photography as both an artistic and meditative practice, using his panoramic images to preserve fleeting light and subtle atmospheres.
Josef Sudek’s Prague Panorama was created using an old Kodak Panorama camera, a device originally produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This item ships from the United Kingdom and the buyer is responsible for any applicable import fees and taxes.