Chance and history converged in an old tin can. After 89 years of silence, 45 images captured on August 29, 1937, have come to light, documenting a moment of surrealism and bravery in the Viveros of Valencia.
The photographs, the work of photographer Walter Reuter, record a performance by the emblematic theater company La Barraca. In the images, it can be seen how more than one thousand people attended the representation of short plays (entremeses) by Miguel de Cervantes, defying the thunder of the bombings that struck the city of Valencia at that time.
Historical Context: What was La Barraca?
La Barraca was a traveling theater group founded by the legendary poet Federico García Lorca. Its mission was to bring classical Spanish theater to rural areas and the working class, democratizing culture and education through the arts.
The material miraculously survived, mixed among more than four thousand negatives that remained uncatalogued for nearly nine decades. This discovery is not just a visual record, but a political and artistic testimony of endurance.
The event occurred just one year after the assassination of the poet Federico García Lorca. This find provides evidence of the continuity and strength of the theatrical project promoted by Lorca, demonstrating that his legacy remained alive in Spanish territory even after his execution.
Source: IMAGO