МОНГОЛД ГЭРЭЛ ЗУРГИЙН АЛБА ҮҮСЭЖ СЭТГҮҮЛ ЗҮЙН ХҮЧИРХЭГ ХҮЧИН ЗҮЙЛ, БИЕ ДААСАН УРЛАГ БОЛЖ ХӨГЖИЖ ТӨЛӨВШСӨН НЬ

Abstract

This article provides a concise historical overview of the emergence and development of Mongolia’s photography service over roughly ninety years, tracing its roots from the early twentieth century—when only a few Mongolian photographers and foreign scholars documented everyday life—through the post-1921 period in which the state and ruling party recognized photography as a vital tool for documenting and promoting the new society, invited Soviet specialists, and, through key decisions such as the 1935 resolution, established fi lm and photography institutions in parallel.
It shows how consistent policies to open studios nationwide, train photo correspondents, organize exhibitions, and supply newspapers with high-quality images led to the institutionalization of photography within the press, how the 1950s–1980s saw the consolidation of a State Photography Offi ce with laboratories, archives, international agency links, and a vast historical collection, and how the democratic transition expanded the fi eld through private agencies, professional associations, specialized publications, and competitions, concluding that photography has both preserved Mongolia’s living history and become an irreplaceable force.