Emanuel Borg (1922-2012) began his career as a professional studio photographer in Kalkara just after World War II. In the 1950s he was involved in establishing the photographic department of the Malta Tourism Board and was regularly seconded to the Department of Information. Emanuel was an early member of the Malta Photographic Society, which was founded in 1961.

In this collection, Emanuel’s photographs capture Valletta’s Kingsway and Palace Square at the height of carnival 1949. Audiences clamber to view the sfilati of The Saturnians, the Prince and Princess of Belgium, and the dancing bears of My Favourite Toy. These images from a carnival past trace the evolution of one of Malta’s most beloved festivities.