German-Danish War. 1864. Salted paper print. 17,5 x 21 cm. Mounted to original board (slightly soiled), with photographer's embossed stamp below the image on the mount.
This rare and well-preserved photograph captures a group of Prussian officers and soldiers, posing for a souvenir photo amid the destroyed trenches surrounding the village of Düppel. Similar to Roger Fenton and Matthew Brady, the photographer C.F. Brandt faced the challenge of capturing war images only after the fighting had ceased, as exposure times were still lengthy. An experienced photographer, Brandt participated in the International Photography Exhibition in Berlin in 1865, where he was awarded a medal for his exceptional landscapes. – Minimal fading in lower and side edges, light spot in upper right corner, otherwise a strong print in very good condition.
Provenance: Robert Lebeck Collection
Brazil & Portugal
Views of Botanical Gardens, Rio; National Livestock exposition in Portugal, 1888
Los 4017
Schätzung
500€ (US$ 538)
Photographers: Théophile Auguste Stahl (1828-1877) and Augusto Bobone (1852-1910). Views of Botanical Gardens, Rio; National Livestock exposition in Portugal, 1888. 1860s/80s. 3 albumen prints with rounded corners. Each circa 21,5 x 17 cm. Each mounted to board (slightly soiled, foxing), 2 with photographer's blind stamp on the mount in upper left corner.
Théophile Auguste Stahl is regarded as one of the most significant photographers in 19th-century Brazil. Born in Italy, he arrived in Brazil in 1853 and settled in Recife, where he established three studios. In 1858, he partnered with photographer and chemist Adolpho Schmidt and Hamburg painter Germano Wahnschaffe. The photographer’s blind stamp on the mounts indicates their joint venture, which operated until 1861. – A few light creases, one with light fold mark, some fading in edges, otherwise in good condition.
Lit.: Gilberto Ferrez/Weston J. Naef. Pioneer Photographers of Brazil 1840-1920, Center for Inter-American Relations 1976.
British Military Souvenir Album
British military souvenir album showing warships, Mediterranean cities and harbors and West Indian islands
Los 4018
Schätzung
600€ (US$ 645)
Photographers: Dimitrios Constantinou (active 1858-1860s), Pascal Sébah (1823-1886), Hippolyte Arnoux (active ca. 1860-1890), Giorgio Sommer (1834-1914) and unknown. British military souvenir album showing warships, Mediterranean cities and harbors as well as West Indian islands. 1874-78. 52 albumen prints mounted to album pages (some soiled, partially loose, covers missing). Various sizes, most 23 x 29 cm and reverse, a few larger or smaller. Some with photographer's name and/or title in the negative in lower margin.
This souvenir album likely belonged to an officer of the HMS Topaze, possibly even its commander, Edward Hardinge. The Topaze, a 51-gun, three-masted frigate, was part of a British squadron that included other warships such as the Narcissus, Immortalité, Endymion, Doris, Charybdis, and several others. The photographs, some in large format, document key harbor cities visited by the squadron in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, including a striking panoramic view of Gibraltar. The album also features views of Palermo, Athens, Rhodes, Smyrna, Suez, Malta, as well as Ceylon, India, and the West Indies, including Trinidad and Jamaica. Notable group portraits of the ships’ crews are also included. – Some prints with fading, otherwise in good to very good condition.
Photographer unknown. Early view of Chemnitz. 1860s. Albumen print mounted to board (slightly soiled). 21,2 x 30,7 cm (31,5 x 43 cm). Annotated in pencil on mount.
Some scuff marks, slight fading and signs of oxidation along edges of print, otherwise in good condition.
Charnay, Claude-Joseph Désiré
Andrian Mandrousso, Governor of Tamatave Province, Madagascar
Los 4020
Schätzung
1.200€ (US$ 1,290)
Andrian Mandrousso, Governor of Tamatave Province, Madagascar. 1863. Gold-toned albumen print from a wet collodion negative. 17,2 x 11,8 cm. Mounted to board (foxing), annotated in pencil below the image on the mount.
Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay traveled to Madagascar in 1863 as part of a French scientific expedition to document the island’s native inhabitants and architecture. His photographs and writings were subsequently featured in the journal Le Tour du Monde. – Some discoloration in upper portion, some surface scuff marks, otherwise a strong print.
Provenance: Robert Lebeck Collection
Lit.: Le Tour du Monde, vol. 2, 1864, ill. p. 215.
China
Portraits of high ranking Chinese Imperial officials and views of Peking and surroundings
Los 4021
Schätzung
20.000€ (US$ 21,505)
Photographer: Georges Auguste Morache (1837-1906). Portraits of high-ranking Chinese Imperial officials and views of Peking and surroundings. 1863-66. 27 albumen prints. Each between circa 16,5 x 21 cm and smaller. Each mounted to board (44 x 34 cm, slightly warped), each signed by the photographer in red ink below the image in lower right on mount; most extensively annotated in German in black ink and each with title and explanation by the photographer in red ink on mount verso, loose in contemporary half-linen card portfolio (some scuff marks, edges slightly rubbed, some traces of use, ties missing/torn).
Photographs by amateur photographer Dr. Georges Auguste Morache are among the earliest known views and portraits of people from Beijing. They are also extremely rare, as Dr. Morache had no commercial intentions; he was motivated primarily by personal interest and certainly also the technical challenges of photography, which was still in its infancy at the time. He compiled his work into various thematic groups, which he later gifted to family members and friends. Among the 13 portrait photos, the images of high-ranking ministers and other dignitaries whose names and rank are mentioned on the verso by Morache are particularly interesting. The portraits show Ouen-Siang(?), the Foreign Minister and Vice-President of the Imperial Council; the Finance Minister and member of the Imperial Council; the Ambassador of Korea; a high-ranking Buddhist monk and several other civilian and military figures. The most well-known image is the portrait of Prince Gong, who was intermittently the most influential imperial official after the Second Opium War.The few surviving photographs are now housed in museums and private collections, with those in the Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection in New York being particularly well-known.
Another album, titled “Vues de Pékin 1865-67,” containing 29 photographs, signed on the title page, can be found at The Toyo Bunko Oriental Library in Tokyo (formerly part of the George Morrison Collection). The ethnologically focused Musée du quai Branly in Paris also owns Morache’s photographs, and there is an additional bound album of approximately 40 photographs in a private British collection. Aside from these four extant portfolios, the collection offered here represents a fifth example. Unlike the photographs in the aforementioned collections, each image in this collection bears Morache’s signature on the front of the mount, although the reason for this is not entirely clear; he may have wished to prevent his work from being confused with that of other photographers in Beijing.
Dr. Morache studied surgery at the naval school in Brest, continued his medical education in Strasbourg, and then trained at the renowned Val-de-Grâce military hospital in Paris. His good reputation led to his appointment as a medical officer at the French legation in Peking. He traveled to China in 1863 with his wife and mother, who notably maintained a network among various personalities in Beijing and observed cultural and political life closely. Morache's mother (Pauline) recorded her experiences and observations in detail (in German) on the backs of the large mounts that accompany these photographs. This indicates that she likely had a German background. She was acquainted with the Countess of Stolberg-Stolberg, who introduced her to the family of Friedrich Viktor Strauss (1909-1899), later Viktor von Strauss und Torney. He was a well-known Protestant religious historian and translator and became particularly well known for the first translation of the Tao Te King from Chinese into German. One can therefore safely assume that the text on the mounts of the photos are addressed directly to him. – Some surface rubbing/scuffing, some slightly faded, otherwise most prints in good to very good condition.
Provenance: Descendants of Viktor von Strauß und Torney (1809-1899)
Lit.: Édouard de Saint-Ours. The Photography of Dr. Georges Auguste Morache (1837–1908).
A Selection from the Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection.
Exhibition Catalogue, London 2016.
China
Laying of the foundation stone of Hong Kong City Hall
Los 4022
Schätzung
1.800€ (US$ 1,935)
Photographer: Milton M. Miller (1830-1899). Laying of the foundation stone of Hong Kong City Hall. 1865. Albumen print. 19,5 x 25,5 cm. Mounted to board (slight foxing), annotated in pencil and ink below image on mount.
The old City Hall was the first building in Hong Kong not to serve as a government office; it was dedicated solely to municipal purposes. Today, it has been replaced by the Bank of China Building and The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC Group). The early photograph featured here captures the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone in 1865, attended by festively dressed dignitaries and numerous onlookers. Construction commenced in 1866 on land provided by the government. The building, which included a theater and a library, was inaugurated on November 2, 1869, by HRH Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, during his visit to the colony. In 1933, the structure was partially demolished and was completely torn down in 1947 to make way for the new HSBC Group building. – A few small indentation spots, small brown spot in upper left, two light discolored spots, otherwise in very good condition.
Provenance: Robert Lebeck Collection
China/Japan
Travel abum with views of Egypt, China and Japan
Los 4023 [*]
Schätzung
1.500€ (US$ 1,613)
Photographers: Hyppolite Arnoux (active 1870-1890), Zangaki Brothers (active 1870-1900), Lai Afong (1838-1890), Charles William Wason (1854-1918), Felice Beato (1832-1909), Adolfo Farsari (1841-1898), Kusakabe Kimbei (1841-1934), and others. Travel abum with views of Egypt, China and Japan. 1880s. 88 albumen prints mounted to gilt-edged album pages (some foxing). Each ca. 22 x 28 cm or reverse. Most titled, numbered and/or signed in negative in lower margin. Bound in original lacquerwork album with ivory imitation and mother-of-pearl inlays (slightly chipped).
This album comprises a diverse array of historical landmarks and portraits of people from Egypt, China, and Japan. Notable photographs include views of the Kasr el Nil Bridge in Cairo, ships anchored at Port Said, and various early depictions of Amoy (modern-day Xiamen) and Hong Kong. The collection also features images from British Weihaiwei, Port Arthur, and key locations in Japan, such as Nagasaki, Yokohama, and Kobe, accompanied by genre scenes that depict local customs and daily life. Likely compiled by a German officer of the Imperial German Navy, the album offers a rich and varied visual narrative of life in the Far and Middle East during the late nineteenth century. – Some scuff marks, some light fading along edges of prints, otherwise all in good to very good condition.
Lit.: Carmen Pérez González. From Istanbul to Yokohama: The Camera meets Asia 1839-1900. Köln: Walter König, 2014,ill. pp. 81, 235 and 239.
Photographer unknown. Views of Cologne. Late 1870s. 5 albumen prints (1 large-format). Circa 22 x 26 cm and 47,5 x 41 cm. 1 annotated in pencil on the verso.
This group includes an oversized view of the interior of Cologne cathedral as well as an exterior view showing it while still under construction. The other images comprise views of Cologne. – Some handling marks/creases, especially in corners, one backed tear, otherwise in good condition.
Constantinople
Panorama of Constantinople from Galata Tower
Los 4025
Schätzung
1.200€ (US$ 1,290)
Panorama of Constantinople from Galata Tower. Circa 1880. Panorama consisting of 10 albumen prints. Each circa 21 x 23 cm (entire size circa 21 x 190 cm). Numbers in ink in lower edge, mounted to original boards (slightly soiled, slight traces of use), bound together with linen tape at folds.
A large and complete panorama with a view from the Galata Tower over the Bosporus, from the Asian side of Üsküdar to the Topkapi Serail over the Golden Horn into the west of the city. – Some fading in hinge parts, some light surface scuff marks, otherwise in very good condition and with strong contrasts.
Photographer: Louis Auguste Bisson (1814-1876). Mother and son. 1845. Sixth plate daguerreotype in wooden frame. 8,5 x 7 cm (19,5 x 17,5 cm). Photographer's initials embossed below image on mount. With original studio label, dated "juillet 1845" in black ink on frame verso.
Louis-Auguste Bisson was a pioneering French photographer known for his early use of daguerreotypes in portrait photography. His detailed, high-quality images contributed to the rise of portraiture in mid-19th century France, and though he later became renowned for architectural photography, his work with daguerreotypes helped establish the medium’s popularity. – Some light signs of oxidation and silver mirroring along edges of plate, otherwise in very good condition.
Photographer: Eugène Vaillat (1804-1879). Young boy. 1850s. Quarter plate daguerreotype. 9,5 x 7,5 cm (15 x 12,5 cm). Signed in plate, sealed in glass black frame with gilt-lined window oval, annotated in black ink on frame verso.
Eugène Vaillat was a prominent French portrait photographer, particularly known for his work with daguerreotypes. Vaillat introduced a special technique in polishing the daguerreotype plates, which gave his images an exceptional clarity, setting them apart during the early development of photography. – In excellent condition.
Photographer unknown. Group portrait. 1850s. Quarter plate daguerreotype in leather case. 9 x 7 cm (12 x 9,5 cm).
Minimal signs of oxidation along left edge, otherwise in near excellent condition.
Views of Moscow. 1880s. 6 albumen prints (1 finely hand-colored) mounted to board. Each ca. 27,5 x 20,8 cm (30 x 23,2 cm). Each titled in ink below image, some annotated by another hand in pencil below image on mount.
J. Daziaro, founded by Giuseppe Daziaro in 1827, became a leading publisher and photographic studio in 19th-century Russia, renowned for its high-quality lithographs and photographs of Russian cityscapes, portraits, and cultural scenes. After Giuseppe’s death, the business was carried on by his son Joseph and later by his grandson Alexander, until it closed in 1918. The legacy of J. Daziaro endures through its significant contributions to Russian art and photography, with works held in prestigious collections such as the Getty Museum and the New York Public Library, and even referenced by literary figures such as Leo Tolstoy. – Some scuff marks and signs of fading along edges of print, otherwise in good condition.
(Attributed to). View of Moscow. 1880s. Hand-colored albumen print. 21,8 x 27,2 cm. Mounted to board (slight traces of use, small tear in left edge), annotated in ink in lower right.
A few scuff marks in sky area, otherwise in very good condition.
[*]: Regelbesteuert gemäß Auktionsbedingungen. [^]: Ausgleich von Einfuhr-Umsatzsteuer.
* Alle Angaben inkl. 25% Regelaufgeld ohne MwSt. und ohne Gewähr – Irrtum vorbehalten.
Galerie Bassenge
Erdener Str. 5A
14193 Berlin
Öffnungszeiten:
Montag bis Donnerstag, 10–18 Uhr,
Freitag, 10–16 Uhr
Telefon: +49 30 8938029-0
Fax: +49 30 8918025
E-Mail: info (at) bassenge.com
Impressum
Datenschutzerklärung
© 2024 Galerie Gerda Bassenge
Galerie Bassenge
Erdener Str. 5A
14193 Berlin
Öffnungszeiten:
Montag bis Donnerstag, 10–18 Uhr,
Freitag, 10–16 Uhr
Telefon: +49 30 8938029-0
Fax: +49 30 8918025
E-Mail: info (at) bassenge.com
Impressum
Datenschutzerklärung
© 2022 Galerie Gerda Bassenge