Celestino Martínez

In 1839, at the age of nineteen, he taught drawing classes at the "Sociedad Económica Amigos del País" (Economic Society of Friends of the Nation), founded by General José Antonio Páez.

In 1844, he and his younger brother, Gerónimo Martínez [es], were employed in the lithography workshop of Johann Heinrich Müller and Wilhelm Stapler, where they created images for the first illustrated book published in Venezuela;The Mysteries of Paris by Eugène Sue.

He also bought photographic equipment from Charles Chevalier [fr], who had designed lenses for one of the first daguerrotypes, and established a studio in Bogotá.

Later, in 1867, he began exhibiting in photography expositions, including one organized by the pioneering photographer, Próspero Rey [es].

In 1883, he was one of the judges at the "Exposición Nacional de Venezuela", together with Antonio José Carranza and others, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Simón Bolívar.