José Villar Martelo was born in 1873. He graduated in June 1894 from Santiago de Compostela University.

Because his father had died a few months earlier, he took over the family pharmacy and drugstore business, Farmacia y Droguería Villar, at its current premises in Real 82 and Olmos 7 streets in La Coruña, Spain.

He led the family business, and in 1900 he travelled to the Universal Exhibition in Paris, where he came into contact with the world of photography.

When he returned he founded Fotografía Villar, the city’s first photography store.

He always took his camera with him on both holidays and business trips, taking more than 1,000 photographs of Galicia, Spain and abroad. He also expanded his photographic collection during regular visits to Paris and Switzerland.

He died in January 1951.

This web site pays homage to his life and work.