The Port of Bilbao and the Maritime Museum have illustrated their calendar with images from the famous Hauser y Menet publishing house of the late 19th century..

It is an exhibition organised by the Port of Bilbao Authority and the Maritime Museum, on display on the museum’s esplanade, and is composed of phototypes published by the Hauser y Menet publishing house between 1890 and 1895. These images have survived to the present day thanks to the collecting work of José Antonio Sota. The selected images show views of various areas of Bilbao, Erandio, Galdames, Getxo, Lutxana, Portugalete and Santurtzi. As well as capturing urban landscapes, the authors also reflected the great infrastructure of the time, such as factories, mines and the constant activity of the port, revealing the region’s industrial development.

Hauser y Menet publishing house

The Hauser y Menet house was founded in Madrid in 1890, and was considered the best phototype printer in Spain. It achieved an excellent standard, publishing highly detailed plates and postcards.

Phototype is a process for reproducing a cliché formed by inked gelatin reliefs on a glass support, which is then printed by pressure on paper.

The name of the publishing house comes from the Swiss photographers Adolfo Menet Kursteiner and Oscar Hauser Müller, who arrived in Madrid in 1890 to collaborate with the Sociedad Artística Fotográfica (Photographic Art Society) and founded their own publishing house.

The publishing house had several owners over the years, but always kept the same name and remained in business for almost ninety years.

The calendar can be purchased together with the museum ticket.

Twelve large-format images will be on display in the Itsasmuseum esplanade until 23 January.

As every year, the images are reproduced in a calendar that can be purchased at the museum ticket office.