Martí Roura fonds
Sebastià Martí Roura
(Tossa de Mar, 1914 - Girona, 1999)
Sebastià Martí Roura was a professional photographer, who trained in Foto Lux gallery with Girona photographer Octavi Unal, from 1930 to 1932. In 1932, he began to work as an assistant to Valentí Fargnoli, with whom he stayed until 1936 when he went off to fight in the Spanish Civil War.
In 1941, he opened his own gallery on Carrer de la Cort Reial in Girona, where he worked until his retirement in 1980, when he was succeeded by his son Sebastià Martí Calvo (see Martí Calvo fonds).
This personal photographic fonds dates from 1941-1980 and comprises approximately 300 photographs, negative images on glass plates with a gelatin silver bromide process. The images are black and white, in a 13x18 cm format. The fonds entered INSPAI on 31 March 2011.
The geographical scope of the photographs is the province of Girona. The subject matter includes landscapes, gallery portraits, and scenes from daily life. We find images from the ruins of Empúries, the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, and different views of the towns in the province: Amer, Anglès, Banyoles, Besalú, Bescanó, La Bisbal d'Empordà, Blanes, Cadaqués, Caldes de Malavella, Calonge, Castellfollit de la Roca, La Cellera de Ter, Celrà, Colomers, Cruïlles, L'Escala, Girona, Jafre, Llagostera, Lloret de Mar, Olot, Osor, Palafrugell, Les Planes d'Hostoles, Platja d'Aro, Porqueres, El Port de la Selva, Riudarenes, Roses, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Sant Jaume de Llierca, Sant Joan de Mollet, Sant Martí Vell, Sant Pere Pescador, Santa Coloma de Farners, Santa Cristina d'Aro, Sils, Susqueda, Torroella de Montgrí, Tossa de Mar, Verges, Vidreres and Vilademuls. Of special interest are the general vistas of these towns and villages, monuments and historic buildings featuring the main architectural details, as well as streets, squares, churches, beaches and harbours and leisure spaces such as lakes, fountains and gardens.
Area of identification
Reference code
CAT INSPAI 22
Level of description
Collection
Date(s)
Inclusive dates: 1930-1980
Volume and support
302 silver halide photographs on glass plates with gelatin emulsion, developed with the gelatin dry plate silver bromide process, and with final 13 × 18 cm negative images in black and white.
Context area
Name of producer(s)
Sebastià Martí Roura
Producer history
Sebastià Martí Roura (Tossa de Mar, 21/01/1914 - Girona, 30/11/1999) was a professional photographer trained in the Foto Lux gallery by Girona-based photographer Octavio Unal between 1930 and 1932. In 1932, he began to work as Valentí Fargnoli's assistant, a job he kept until 1936, when he went to fight in the Spanish Civil War.
In 1941, he opened his own gallery on Carrer de la Cort Reial in Girona and in 1980, when he retired, he passed the baton to his son Sebastià Martí Calvo (see the Martí Calvo Fonds).
He was a gallery photographer specialised in weddings. He made the photographs on glass plates and he also made and sold postcard prints.
Archive history
The fonds is fully described in a catalogue and has been cleaned, restored, and placed in permanent preservation material in the INSPAI preservation repositories. The entire fonds was digitised in the summer of 2013.
The fonds was located in Mr Martí Calvo's house in a metal cabinet (1.30 m × 1.20 m × 0.70 cm) with five drawers. The glass plates were kept inside paper envelopes from Sebastià Martí Roura's era, with numbering linked to an inventory. Different drawers in the same filing cabinet contained Sebastià Martí Calvo's fonds and Valentí Fargnoli's fonds.
The photographs were arranged by municipality and by record number, noted on a typed list with the municipality and a brief description of the image.
Details of entry
The fonds was acquired by INSPAI on 31 March 2011.
Content area and structure
Scope and content
Geographically, the photographs are focused on Girona province. For example, we find images of the ruins in Empúries, the Sant Pere de Roda Monastery, and views of different municipalities in the area: Amer, Anglès, Banyoles, Besalú, Bescanó, La Bisbal d'Empordà, Blanes, Cadaqués, Caldes de Malavella, Calonge, Castellfollit de la Roca, La Cellera de Ter, Celrà, Colomers, Cruïlles, L'Escala, Girona, Jafre, Llagostera, Lloret de Mar, Olot, Osor, Palafrugell, Les Planes d'Hostoles, Platja d'Aro, Porqueres, Port de la Selva, Riudarenes, Roses, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Sant Jaume de Llierca, Sant Joan de Mollet, Sant Martí Vell, Sant Pere Pescador, Santa Coloma de Farners, Santa Cristina d'Aro, Sils, Susqueda, Torroella de Montgrí, Tossa de Mar, Verges, Vidreres, and Vilademuls. The fonds includes vistas and landscape shots, especially general vistas of these municipalities and their monuments and details of their most outstanding architectural features, as well as streets, squares, churches, beaches, ports, and the most important leisure areas such as lakes, fountains, or gardens.
Conditions for access and use area
Conditions for access
Free and open access.
Related documentation area
Control of description area
Author and date(s)
SPC, October 2016.
Sources
Photographs arranged by municipality and by record number, noted on a typed list with the description of the image.
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