Feb 07, 2008 - Sale 2135

Sale 2135 - Lot 35

Unsold
Estimate: $ 6,000 - $ 9,000
BRAUN, ADOLPHE (1811-1877)
Portfolio entitled "Architecture," with 19 photographs of mosques and ancient tombs in Cairo, Egypt. Woodburtypes or Carbon prints, 7 3/4x10 inches (19.6x25.4 cm.) or the reverse, with Braun's debossed hand stamp on recto, and a handwritten caption and inventory number on mount recto. (The mounts are 21 3/4x15 3/4 inches (55.2x40 cm.) and the reverse.) Contemporary folio-size folding jacket, gilt-lettered cloth, covers dampstained, backstrip worn; contents loose as issued; ties. Circa 1870

Additional Details

Braun's photographs were the subject of a major retrospective at the Cleveland Museum of Art, in 2000, the first ever devoted to his work, and a book, "Image and Enterprise, The Photographs of Adolphe Braun" (London, 2000).

After establishing himself as a photographer of floral studies in 1866, which were hailed at the Paris Exposition, Braun established a studio that eventually became one of the largest photographic publishing houses in the world. His primary purpose was to identify new uses for photography and, through the application of art and technology, to reach the widest possible audience.

Braun's work is distinguished by its remarkably diverse subject matter, including celebrity portraits, architectural studies, mountain landscapes, still lifes, rare animal studies, and art reproductions. The story of his career is a model for understanding the popularity of photography and the interconnectedness of technology and education in the Victorian era.


The photographs in this portfolio focus on exterior and interior architectural views in Cairo, featuring multiple scenes of ancient mosques, including El-Monayad, Sultan Hassan, El-Mardanai, Sultan Barbouk, Kait-Bey and the tombs of the Mamelukes and of the Caliphs.


JPGs are available upon request.