This is a photo of me in a traditional Slavonian dress.
I was born in Rijeka in 1914, but already at the age of one, in 1915, when my father died, I moved with my mother to her parents’ home in Vinkovci.
Vinkovci is situated in the eastern part of Croatia. That part is called Slavonia. Slavonia is a very rich part of Croatia in terms of traditions, customs and so on.
The dress that I am wearing on this photo is a traditional dress worn by women in Slavonia. It is very beautiful, with flowered design and nice colors, which unfortunately cannot be seen in this black-and-white photo.
I also liked the jewerly and the head cover that I was wearing. There was no special occasion that I put this dress on. It was for fun, I just wanted to see what I would like in this dress.
The photo was taken in Photo Seiler where I learned to become a professional photographer.
In Vinkovci, I completed the public elementary school, four grades of public high school and after that I learned photography in a private photographer's shop called Seiler.
In this photo studio, I learned the trade and became a qualified photographer. I was very much interested in photography and I learned to love this art form very much.
At the beginning, of course, I only worked in the photo studio but with time I became less interested in taking static pictures and telling people to turn left, right, smile, and so on.
After I learned the profession and gained experience. I wanted to become a photo-reporter. I wanted to work outside the studio, take photographs of events and people.
Many traders and photographers came to the Seiler photo studio where I worked, and once one of them asked me if I would be interested in working in a photo studio in Dubrovnik.
He said that they needed someone with my qualifications and that I could work as a photo-reporter.
