When Josip Pelikan opened his first photography studio in 1910, he was carrying on the passion of his parents. In the following few decades, he became one of the foremost chroniclers of Slovenian life at a time of rapid social change.

Pelikan was born in 1885 in the town of Tarvisio, now a part of Italy but just a few kilometers from the Slovenian border. His parents were Czech and had both dabbled in photography in their native Prague. Josip Pelikan’s father, in particular, took the time to share his knowledge of - and passion for - photography with his son.

The young Pelikan embraced the hobby and decided to make it his profession. In 1910, he received a license to open a photography studio in the western Slovenian town of Idrija. Just a few years later, Idrija became a part of Italy and Pelikan moved his studio to Celje, where a respected photographer had just died. In the decades that followed, Pelikan would himself become one of that town’s most prominent citizens.

Pelikan’s photography studio was a commercial success, and he was soon able to open new locations in various Slovenian spa towns catering to wealthy visitors who wanted keepsakes of their vacations. In time, Pelikan became well-known for the quality of his work and became a major supplier of photographs for newspapers, magazines, and postcard makers.

For the next decades, Pelikan’s photography chronicled the major events shaping Slovenia: political rallies, social change, a world war, and modernization, but also the enduring spirit of ordinary people and the timeless beauty of Slovenia’s landscapes. In addition to taking thousands of photos, Pelikan also shared his skills and expertise with a new generation of photographers - talented men and women who continued his legacy.

Josip Pelikan died in 1977 at the age of 91. Today, his photography studio is on display at the Museum of Recent History in Celje, giving visitors an opportunity to see how some of the most well-known photos ever taken in the town were brought to life - and became a part of history.