Bilbao, 1906. The Elespuru brothers published A Review of the Celebrations of Elorrio in honor of the Blessed Valentine of Berrio-ochoa bishop and martyr by Aristides Artiñano. The work also included a selection of photographs and, at the bottom of the photographs, “Photography of the Mrs. Signature of “Olano”. The wife of the lesbian Juan Narciso Olano was called Eulalia Abaitua.

Born on 25 January 1853 in Bilbao, she was baptized as Maria Elvira Juliana. But Eulalia died shortly after giving birth to her mother, and in her honor her daughter was also called Eulalia. With Luis Abaitua as a merchant father, Eulalia spent her childhood here and there. He allegedly studied at the Sacred Heart of Jesus College in the Sarrià district of Barcelona, but since the local archive was destroyed during the War of 36, there is no evidence of this. He lived in England in 1871 in the Everton district of Liverpool. There he met Juan Narciso Olano.

In 1878 the couple returned to Begoña. An English-style Pine Palace was built next to the Basilica, and in the basement of that house Eulalia set up a photographic laboratory. Thanks to her excellent economic situation and her trips throughout her life, she trained in photography, an activity that was unusual for women at the time; she is considered the first female photographer in the Basque Country. He did portraits in Venice, Rome, Morocco, Crete... but for the most exquisite works he did not go far. The best photographs of the Avocado show anonymous people and everyday scenes from their surroundings.

Eulalia Abaitua died in 1943 at the age of 90, but her work was forgotten until it was acquired by the Basque Museum in Bilbao. These days, and until May 29th, you can see a projection composed of 55 photographs and 161 reproductions –mostly unknown– of the Bilbao artist. The exhibition is called the photographer Eulalia Abaitua (1853-1943).