Serving the Colds, Cornova, Bessarabia, 1931

Iosif Berman · 1931

The photo comes from the monographic research undertaken by the Sociological School from Bucharest under the direction of Prof. Dimitrie Gusti in Bessarabia, Cornova locality, jud. Orhei (today the Republic of Moldova, Ungheni district), from the hilly region of Codrului, on the valley of Cula, with 380 Romanian families. During the investigation we conducted the second sociological documentary of the School, “Un village basarabean, Cornova” (operator T. Posmantir, directors - Em. Bucharest-H. Stahl, At.GolÎn) resumed by the director Pompiliu Gâlopenu under the name “Cornova - goodbye after 60 years.” From the team that participated in the shooting in 1931 (25 June - 13 August) was present from the 55 researchers only Gh. Focsa, the first director of the Village Museum from Bucharest. The research from Cornova recorded data about the life cycle: birth, baptism, wedding, funeral. The image depicts, picturally, the apiense candles and the colas at the moment of their service so that they can then be divided. The author of the photo is Iosif Berman (1892-1941), journalist and official photographer of the Royal Court, who accompanied Professor Gusti’s teams in almost all the village monography campaigns. One of his great qualities was the capture of the snapshots of the village life. He was also an uneventful portrait artist.