Casanave: An American photographer in Iloilo

Dublin Core

Title

Casanave: An American photographer in Iloilo

Subject

Casanave y Pineda, Pedro Andres, 1867-1948

Casanave, Pedro -- Photograph collection

Iloilo, Philippines -- History -- Pictorial works

Description

This coffee table book is most valuable in the study and appreciation of the history of Iloilo, both the province and the city. It presents more than one hundred thirty photographs taken over a period of thirty years by Pedro Andres Casanave, a consummate American photographer. Each photograph is accompanied by commentaries by Nereo Cajilig Lujan, a veteran llonggo journalist who has successfully ventured into historical research and writing. The book also includes an interesting biographical sketch of Casanave by Lujan.

Casanave was an American citizen who was born in Mexico—thus, his Spanish name. Already widely known as a photographer and artist, he joined the US Volunteers in 1899 and came to the Philippines during the Philippine-American War. After the war, he stayed in the country, married a Filipina from Negros, and established his photography studio in Iloilo City in 1905.

Casanave was not the first photographer to practice in Iloilo. The first Filipino professional photographer, Felix Laureano, grew up and started his photographic career in Iloilo. He later went to Barcelona, Spain and put up a studio.

In 1895, Laureano published his Recuerdosde Filipinos in Barcelona. The photo album contains thirty-seven photographs taken of several parts of the Philippines. Less than half of these show scenes from Iloilo. On the other hand, Casanave’s photographs depict the various facets of life and society in Iloilo from the early American period to World War II.

A picture is worth more than a thousand words, so goes the adage. When it comes to historical pictures, however, the learned words of the historian can situate a picture in its proper context and explain its significance.
In this book, Casanave’s pictures and Lujan’s text, contribute to Philippine historiography, especially on Iloilo's past. We commend Nereo Cajilig Lujan for bringing to light Pedro Casanave’s peerless photographs, thereby taking the readers back to Iloilo’s glorious past.

- from the Foreword by Demy P. Sonza

Creator

Lujan, Nereo Cajilig

Publisher

National Historical Commission of the Philippines

Date

2021

Language

English

Type

Book

Text Item Type Metadata

Citation

Lujan, N. C. (2021). Casanave: An American photographer in Iloilo. Manila: National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

Access Note

Preliminary pages and references only