František Oliverius was born in 1894 in a small town of Terešov in today’s Czech Republic. His
father owned a factory for manufacturing agricultural machinery and little František soon
developed a keen interest in mechanical engineering himself. After his studies, he earned a
technical engineering degree and settledPrague. Soon after, he was drafted to the WWI. After
the war, he met his future wife Marie, a daughter of a mill-owner from a small town Podmokly and
they had one child, Jan.
František’s interest in photography was apparent from his early years. Even as a young boy he
developed a sense for composition and owned all the equipment needed to pursue his hobby. He
photographed the area where he grew up, took numerous pictures of the extremely photogenic
architecture of Prague and its inhabitants and was also fond of taking pictures of his family. He
also spent a lot of time wandering around the pristine countryside surrounding the place where his
wife’s family mill was situated. Thanks to his melancholic and rather lonely nature, he loved waiting
patiently for the perfect light or, when taking urban pictures, waiting for the ideal grouping of
people or an expressive situation. Even when he became sick with tuberculosis, he did not
abandon his passion. While recovering in the hospital, he was in charge of developing the chest X-
rays of himself and all the other patients.
He was a member of The Club of Amateur Photographers and approximately 60 of his
photographs were shown on 20 exhibitions in various countries ( Japan, USA, France, Holland
and former Yugoslavia).
František Oliverius died in 1962 in Prague, right before the onset of color photography. In his
last letter to his brother, he is wondering why anybody would want to take pictures in color. In his
eyes, the black and white photography simply could not be matched.
I am his granddaughter, Jana Oliveriusova-Kent. I too have developed a keen interest in
photography. I enjoy seeing the images from my grandfather – through his eyes one is able to
relate to a distant time and place when life moved at a very different pace. I am proud to share
these wonderful photographs of my home country.
father owned a factory for manufacturing agricultural machinery and little František soon
developed a keen interest in mechanical engineering himself. After his studies, he earned a
technical engineering degree and settledPrague. Soon after, he was drafted to the WWI. After
the war, he met his future wife Marie, a daughter of a mill-owner from a small town Podmokly and
they had one child, Jan.
František’s interest in photography was apparent from his early years. Even as a young boy he
developed a sense for composition and owned all the equipment needed to pursue his hobby. He
photographed the area where he grew up, took numerous pictures of the extremely photogenic
architecture of Prague and its inhabitants and was also fond of taking pictures of his family. He
also spent a lot of time wandering around the pristine countryside surrounding the place where his
wife’s family mill was situated. Thanks to his melancholic and rather lonely nature, he loved waiting
patiently for the perfect light or, when taking urban pictures, waiting for the ideal grouping of
people or an expressive situation. Even when he became sick with tuberculosis, he did not
abandon his passion. While recovering in the hospital, he was in charge of developing the chest X-
rays of himself and all the other patients.
He was a member of The Club of Amateur Photographers and approximately 60 of his
photographs were shown on 20 exhibitions in various countries ( Japan, USA, France, Holland
and former Yugoslavia).
František Oliverius died in 1962 in Prague, right before the onset of color photography. In his
last letter to his brother, he is wondering why anybody would want to take pictures in color. In his
eyes, the black and white photography simply could not be matched.
I am his granddaughter, Jana Oliveriusova-Kent. I too have developed a keen interest in
photography. I enjoy seeing the images from my grandfather – through his eyes one is able to
relate to a distant time and place when life moved at a very different pace. I am proud to share
these wonderful photographs of my home country.
| Frantisek Oliverius |
 |
 |