Marubi - From Photo Library to a Photography Museum
The National Museum of Photography “Marubi” is the only museum of its kind in the territory of the Republic of Albania. Located in the city of Shkodra, the “Marubi” National Museum of Photography was founded in 1970 with the status of the “Marubi” Photo Gallery after Gegë Marubi donated the entire archive of the Marubi dynasty to the Albanian state. In 2016, now in a renovated building, it opens with the status of the National Museum of Photography, while its archive, initially with about 500,000 negatives, has been continuously enriched. Since this museum preserves the heritage of Marubi photography, starting with Pietro Marubbi from 1856, to continue later with Kel Kodheli (Marubi) and Gegë Kodheli (Marubi), whose activity was mainly concentrated in Shkodër and its surroundings. its, it undoubtedly reflects the traditions, including everyday and ceremonial clothing, of this province. More specifically, in the archives of the “Marubi” National Museum of Photography, there are a significant number of photographs documenting girls and women dressed in xhubletë. Among the many photos, different typologies of the xhubletë can be identified, which can also prove the status of the bearer. At the same time, especially the photographs taken in the studio, prove the importance that the community of the bearers of the tradition of wearing xhubletë gives to this clothing as an element connected with their identity and personality.
