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Casasola Studio

Agustin Victor Casasola was cousin of Alfonso Casasola. He helped Alfonso to open the Casasola Studio at the city of El Paso in 1922 in this address (511 S. El Paso St.). Agustin Victor was one of the best Mexican photographers from the 20th century. He developed in photo-journalism and became the personal photographer of Porfirio Diaz until 1911. He worked for important Mexican newspapers such as El Imparcial, El Globo, El Popular, El Universal, and El Tiempo. Agustin also became the most important chronicler from the Mexican Revolution taking photos of important events and characters of the Revolution including Francisco Villa, Emiliano Zapata, Victoriano Huerta, Venustiano Carranza, and others. He created the Album Histórico Gráfico with images that he rescued from El Imparcial newspaper and founded the Casasola Archives. After the Mexican Revolution he became the photographer of Alvaro Obregón and Plutarco Elias Calles.
Agustin Victor Casasola was born in Mexico City in 1874. He belonged to a well known family of photographers. His brother Miguel also took photos of the Mexican Revolution and participated in revolutionary struggles. He was wounded during the Decena Tragica.

Historical Information

Casasola Studio was established in 1922, near to the end of the Mexican Revolution. The images of the people capture by Casasola are unique of El Paso border history. Casasola’s photos consisted principally on portraits of weddings, quinceañeras, holy communions, and graduations. He also photographed people from Juarez city, braceros, soldiers from Fort Bliss, and Border Patrol agents. Because his studio was established near from the International Bridge, he also provided photos for passport, immigration, and military I.D.
Alfonso Casasola was born in Mexico City on August 2nd, 1889. Because of the political persecution during the Mexican Revolution he came to the United Stated in company of his first wife Luz Maria Salamanca Soto. They migrated to Arizona around 1913 and moved to El Paso in 1920. In 1922, his cousin Agustin Victor Casasola came to El Paso and helped Alfonso to establish his photography portrait studio located at 511 South El Paso Street. It seems that Agustin purchased “La Popular Fotografia” that was property of Raúl C. López.
After Luz Maria death, Alfonso Casasola married to Maria Emma Flores on 1935. They lived above the studio until Alfonso’s death in 1948. Emma continued in charge of the studio until her death in 1987. Estrellita Casasola, daughter of Emma and Alfonso, continued with the business and finally closed it in 1992. The Casasola Studio is important because it recorded the social history of El Paso-Juarez area during seventy years.

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