The history of the development of the Russian Empire is inextricably linked with the Russian Germans, who made a significant contribution to its formation. In the second half of the 19th century, among them stood out Karl Karlovich Bulla, one of the first photographers, who was called the father of Russian photojournalism. Born outside of Russia, he made his name famous here.
At the age of 20, he opened a photo studio, which later moved to the famous department store "Passage" and became popular among the city's residents. Among his clients were many notable figures, including members of the Imperial Family.

After opening the photo studio, Karl Karlovich successfully developed a new direction in photography for over ten years. In 1886, he received permission to shoot outside the studio, which allowed him to publish postcards. He also actively participated in public life and was associated with charitable societies of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, effectively becoming the court photographer of Nicholas II. Bulla was awarded state honors and gifts from the House of Romanov and became the personal photographer of the King of Italy, receiving orders and medals from eight countries.

Karl Karlovich became the most famous photographer of pre-revolutionary Russia. To this day, 230,000 negatives of his works have been preserved. Among them are photographs of Nicholas II with the Empress and the heir, portraits of Chaliapin, psychiatrist Bekhterev, and others. Thanks to his work, we can see the faces of outstanding people of that era, such as Grigori Rasputin and aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky. After the Bolsheviks came to power, Bulla was forced to emigrate to Finland, where he died in 1929. His sons suffered in the USSR, but the photographer's legacy continues to live on in his works.