After the first photographic studios appeared in Valletta (by Francesco Galea first) and Floriana (Leandro Preziosi), another focal point developed elsewhere in Malta, following evident social flux.

Driven by the high concentration of economic activity around the Grand Harbour, Cottonera was a bustling community ready for those business-savvy photographers to start their studios in the Three Cities.

All the initial studios would be concentrated around the Margherita Hill area of Cospicua, with other studios in Senglea, Kalkara and Vittoriosa. The first studio to appear in Cottonera was headed by the master of flexibility, mobility and Maltese ingenuity, Michele Zahra.

Examples of the studio's photographic output and back.

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The cartes de visite (CDV) produced by Zahra’s studio proudly attest to his studio being first established in 1860, and the first studio location was at 2, Strada Cospicua, on Sta Margherita Hill, near the windmill. No other photographers were documented in the area before this period, so it remains a mystery how Zahra learned photographic techniques, unless self-taught.

Seeing the massive increase in interest and demand for photographic services circa 1865, Zahra took the plunge and attempted to move to the capital, Valletta, to establish a studio there

Seeing the massive increase in interest and demand for photographic services circa 1865, Zahra took the plunge and attempted to move to the capital, Valletta, to establish a studio there. He was beaten to the punch by James Conroy, who, albeit not a photographer of Maltese nationality, had made the same decision earlier in 1863.

Whereas Conroy had the foresight to go for premises in Strada Stretta, namely number 56, for reasons unknown, Zahra, due to possibly financial constraints or a fickle nature on his part, first attempted to establish a foothold by working through an already established but completely unrelated commercial outlet, which could funnel potential clients to him. As we will shortly see, he was the first Maltese photographer to move from Cottonera to Valletta.

Printed on the back of the one particular CDV that appeared in 2021 was the following: “Michael Zahra, Photografist. M. Ikiellay’s Establishment [C. Thiellay, sic], Late Meunier, Strada Reale 278. Malta Valletta.” No photographers in Malta called Ikiellay or Meunier were ever documented, nor was Zahra documented to have ever worked from this address in any research source or publication.

The cartes de visite (CDV) documening Michele Zahra’s first address in Valletta at 278, Strada Reale.

The 278, Strada Reale address would later host the longest-standing photographic dynasty on the island, the Richard Ellis family of photographers, for 75 years between 1910 and 1985.

Further research divulged that Meunier was a hairdressing establishment originally from Paris that was operating in Strada Reale, first at 375 and then from 278 since at least 1845, and it was subsequently taken over by a new haircutter, perfumer and glover named C. Thiellay between 1860 and 1886. C. Thiellay also applied to start selling silver and gold items in 1878.

Adverts for the C. Thiellay late Meunier fashion outlet where Michele Zahra first established his studio in Valletta in 1865.

Zahra had the inspirational idea in 1865 to attempt to operate a photographic studio producing CDVs from within a fashion outlet. Still, the concept seems to have fizzled out. However, some other very rare CDVs from the same year also show that Zahra dropped the Thiellay and Meunier mention and kept the 278, Strada Reale address on the back plate of his CDVs.

He soon moved on from this first location of his studio in Valletta. In 1887, the 278, Strada Reale location was taken over by the Mizzi dispensary, which would in 1910 be passed to the Richard Ellis establishment, which had translocated from its original 43 (and later annexed 42) Strada Stretta location.

The next step in Zahra’s Valletta journey would be another collaboration with the Salvatore Schembri firm of gilders and picture frame manufacturers, which operated from 38, Strada Tesoreria. This was the basis of the Schembri et Zahra (or Schembri & Zahra) nomenclature documented on some CDVs between 1866 and 1868.

The CDVs documenting Michele Zahra’s collaboraton with Schembri in Valletta at 38, Strada Tesoreria.

However, the collaboration was also short-lived, as seems to recur repeatedly for Zahra, as Zahra soon appeared to have been struck off the CDVs when the partnership was dissolved. Schembri continued the photography business on his own steam.

Whether by choice or by having no other choice, by 1868, the eternally mobile Zahra was already documented, established and advertising from 125, Strada Britannica (today’s Melita Street). Zahra maintained this duopoly, as both the Cospicua and Valletta studios remained operational concurrently in parallel, with the Cospicua studio operated by unknown apprentices (with two possibly being Tommaso Fenech and Orazio Agius) until his own three sons, Ignazio, Achille and Giuseppe, came of age and could take over the operation of the Cospicua studio themselves.

The CDVs document Michele Zahra’s final outlet in Valletta at 125, Strada Britannica, from 1868 onwards.

The Cospicua studio remained operational well into the 1930s before succumbing to the pressure of competition and a lack of family members or investors to take it forward.

Michele Zahra & Sons, Light & Truth Studio has one of the most recognisable and ornate cabinet card versos in Maltese photographic history

With the move of the elder Zahra to Valletta, the Cospicua location and studio were rebranded as Michele Zahra & Sons, Light & Truth Studio around 1889. This studio has one of the most recognisable and ornate cabinet card versos (the back of a carte de visite or cabinet card) in Maltese photographic history, with a mythological figure often quoted as being, alternatively, Zeus or Moses, emanating thunderbolts from within his raised palm.

The CDVs with similarities between the Maltese Light & Truth Studio by M. Zahra & Sons compared to British coeval studios.

Although the practice of licensing verso templates from established lithographic companies in London, Paris, Vienna or Milan was a common practice for Maltese studios, both the template design and name (Light & Truth Studio) seem to have been ‘borrowed’ from popular British studios by the Zahra family for their use. Maltese ingenuity or outright plagiarism?

Despite all of this, Michele Zahra rightfully deserves to be remembered for his enterprising nature, his wily business acumen and his primacy, being the first Maltese photographer to move his photographic studio operations from Cottonera to Valletta, as well as the only photographer of Maltese nationality to have photographed Freemasons in Victorian times.

Charles Paul Azzopardi is a photo-historian and researcher.

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the National Library of Malta for their assistance in this research, especially Maroma Camilleri and Louis Cini.