Time captured in photographs

The CNB Archive contains thousands of photographs and hundreds of negatives (mostly glass), which may not stand out because of their age, technique or origin, but certainly capture attention with their unique subjects – often unusual for typical archival photo collections. They depict bank buildings, employees, major events, numismatic material and – last but not least – photographic documentation stored in loan files. What's more, some of the photos were produced by the renowned Langhans photo studio in Prague, a name associated with Czech portrait photography since the late 19th century. These black-and-white photographs form a visual chronicle of Czech banking and reveal a frequently overlooked yet fascinating side of banking history.

Building of Banka československých legií, undated, archive collection of Banka československých legií

Counterfeit and genuine Reichsmarks, 1936, archive collection of the National Bank of Czechoslovakia

Management of the Banking Office of the Ministry of Finance in Prague by J. F. Langhans, 1925, archive collection of the National Bank of Czechoslovakia

Boiler room at Živnostenská banka, undated, archive collection of Živnostenská banka

Photograph of clerical staff at the Vienna branch of Živnostenská banka, undated, archive collection of Živnostenská banka

Fourth conference of governors of the central banks of the Little Entente, Bucharest, 1937, archive collection of the National Bank of Czechoslovakia