ADOLPH CHEVALLIER was a Romanian photographer born in 1881 in the village of Brosteni (Neamt county, Moldavia) to a Swiss-French father and a Romanian mother.
After finishing his studies in Romania, Chevallier goes to Lausanne to study photography. He returns to Romania in 1921 and receives a license as photographer of the Royal Court.
After the Second World War, Chevallier is persecuted by the communist regime and is forced to emigrate. He moved to Switzerland, where he passed away in 1963. In 2015, he received Honorary citizenship from Piatra Neamt city.
♦
His favorite photo subject remained his native birthplace in the Bistrita valley, which he missed deeply after being forced to emigrate.
Below is a part of this extensive photo collection – photos taken in the 1920’s capturing the everyday life of the local communities along Bistrita valley, located in the Carpathian mountains of Moldavia.
Bistrita valley today