Marubi

Marubi refers to a prominent family of photographers who operated a studio in Shkodër (Scutari), in present-day Albania, and created one of the Balkans’ most important photographic archives. The founder, Pietro Marubi, an Italian-born photographer, settled in Shkodër in the mid-19th century and established a studio that produced a wide range of photographs documenting everyday life, landscapes, architecture, and ethnographic subjects.

Over the following decades the studio was continued by Pietro’s successors, often described as the Marubi dynasty, including his nephews and descendants, who carried on the practice across generations. Their work spans roughly from the 1850s to the early 20th century and provides a rare visual record of Albanian society during a period of social and political change.

The Marubi archive includes thousands of glass plate negatives and prints that portray urban scenes of Shkodër, rural life in northern Albania, religious ceremonies, traditional costumes, and portraits of ordinary people as well as notable figures. The collection is valued by historians, ethnographers, and photographers for its breadth, technical quality, and historical scope.

Today the Marubi Photographic Archive is preserved by the Historical Museum of Shkodër. It has been the focus of digitization projects and exhibitions, helping to ensure accessibility for researchers and the public and contributing to the documentation of Albanian cultural heritage. The archive is regarded as one of the oldest and most significant in the Balkans, providing invaluable insight into the region’s social and cultural history.