Paul HellyerBudapest, 1960
Young people, probably members of the Young Communist League, run across a square used for large parades.
Fortepan [ 148135] / Demeter Balla / Donated by Zsolt Hegyi, legal heir
I am going to continue posting some of my favourite photos from the Fortepan website here on my new Mastodon home. Fortepan.hu is a website with nearly 220,000 copyright-free photos of the 20th century, either of Hungary or taken by Hungarians. Most, but not all, are taken by amateurs. They provide a rich and detailed portrait of everyday Hungarian life. The value of these photos lies in their ordinariness and portrayal of everyday life, not necessarily their photographic qualities or merit. That said, there are many remarkable gems in the collection from very capable photographers whose talents, in a different time and place, would be more well-known and recognised. Examples include Anikó Gazda, Károly Vajszada, Sándor Kereki, and Zofia Rydet. They, in their own ways, are part of the tradition of Hungarian photographers such as Kertész, Capa, Brassai, and Moholy-Nagy, Fortepan is a remarkable site of Hungarian history and culture.
Paul H 
Budapest, October 1956.
'Ruszkik Haza!' translates as "Russians Go Home!" and was widely used during the revolution. When the last Soviet troops finally left Hungary in June 1991, the day was marked with a citywide festival in the capital called 'Budapesti Búcsú' or Budapest Farewell.
At last night's huge demonstration in Budapest, seventy years on from 1956, Hungarians were once again having to shout, 'Ruszkik Haza!' It can't come soon enough.
Fortepan [232392] / László Virány
Hungary, 1952
Happiness is someone holding your hand.
Fortepan [ 309152] / Ágnes Böhönyey
Budapest, 1989
A young Viktor Orbán at a FIDESZ party event. FIDESZ, most of whose members at that time were young people - its name is an abbreviation of the Hungarian for the Alliance of Young Democrats - helped Hungary get rid of the old, corrupt Communist political system that had outlived its usefulness. It's now time for another renewal and for his old and corrupt regime to be gone.
Fortepan [ 310619] / Árpád Krizsán
Fortepan has many family photos in its collection many of which, without any accompanying context, can be somewhat uninteresting. But this recently added family photo is an absolute gem. There is a lot of detail to look at it and most people are firmly in focus - there's always one who moves! They seem a well-off and happy family. But it is the two figures at the upper left and right-hand edges that really intrigue me: the maid at the left, arms folded, apart from everyone, but still part of the scene. And the rather ghostly neighbour on the right hand edge, peering into the scene from a distance. Wonderful!
Source: Fortepan [309918] / János Gödény
Hungary, 1961
Outstanding in their field.
Source: Fortepan [309707] / Ferenc Bordács
Budapest, 1957.
Three boys looking at a movie poster outside a cinema.
[Some context to this photo. The film being advertised here is 'Nehéz kesztyűk’ or 'Heavy Gloves' and is about a well-known boxer who is defeated in an international bout but through hard work and diligence returns to claim victory and redeem himself. It featured real-life boxer and legend, László Papp, who had won three Olympic gold medals for Hungary (1948, 1952, and 1956). The film was released shortly after the 1956 Revolution and was designed to foster national pride and a sense of unity. Using a real-life hero in Papp made this film very popular, especially, you imagine, among boys of a certain age shown in the photo.]
Source: Fortepan [191944] / Géza Kriss
Budapest, 1955. Game boys. Not sure what they are playing but I am guessing it is some form of marbles.
Source: Fortepan [191889] / Géza Kriss
