The Viva Filipinas Collection

I would like to thank my friends and the Florentino Family for contributing a lot of their family photos.

Some are also found photos, some are from my personal collection. Some come from the archives of schools in the provinces.

People think of me as strange for keeping pictures of dead people. I am very fascinated with vintage memorabilia- the photography involved, the details in the subject's clothing and the expression on the pinoy's faces.

I got my knack of nostalgia from my late uncle George who would resurrect old Manila from memory when I was a kid. His imagery became very vivid in my head.

In the 90s, we lost most of our family photos to the lahar floods. I felt it was a great loss. So I know how these lost photos would mean to the families that once owned them, maybe through the internet I could find the answers and even details how they came about. Or simply enjoy an interesting glimpse of the past in pictures.

Portrait of a Filipina

A very poised Binibini (young lady) sitting like a queen on a rattan wicker throne. The long train from her dress is sprawled to one side; her shoes stepping on the fur of a dead animal. Her eyes towards the lens, her lips almost a half-smile like the Mona Lisa herself.

There's a handwriting scribbled at the back of the photo, the portrait was taken as a memento for her sister who lives far away.

My grandma told me that getting your portrait done back in the day meant saving up for it, spending that amount of money in the province and traveling for hours to reach the Kapitolyo required much planning. It was an anticipated event especially for young women. This was a step up from the previous generation who would do a "sitting" with painters for a portrait.

Manilenos often have the opportunity to get their photos taken, studios were more accessible to them. They would have clothes tailored just for their photo sessions. As for the average low income or provincial Pinoy, most only have their wedding portrait as the sole occasion to have photos professionally done in a studio.


She could be from a well-to-do familia and can afford her own elegant terno made for this shot. Or like the enterprising studios of today, they have props and some wardrobe ready for their customers.