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Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
Felix Bonfils Photographs
Summary
- Collection ID:
- FSA.A1997.03
- Creators:
-
Bonfils, Félix, 1831-1885Bonfils, Lydie, 1837-1918
- Dates:
-
undated
- Languages:
-
Undetermined.
- Physical Description:
-
15 Printsalbumen22.5 x 28.5 cm sheets.
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
Panoramic view in 360 degrees of Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey, circa 1870. 10 sheets of albumen print, of which five bear the photographer's signature and number.
Scope and Contents
Panoramic view of Damascus, Syria, circa 1870. 5 sheets of albumen print, all bearing the photographer's signature and number.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Organized in two flat boxes.
Arrangement
First Box: Panoramas of Constantinople
Arrangement
Second Box: Panoramas of Damascus
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Felix Bonfils was a French photographer who began his professional career as a bookbinder and printer, specializing in photoengravings. After visiting Lebanon as part of Napoleon III's expeditionary corps, in 1867 he became the first French photographer to settle in the Near East. With his wife Lydie, Bonfils established a studio, Maison Bonfils, in Beirut, then part of the Ottoman Empire. Known for his interest in architectural photography, Bonfils traveled widely in the Near East. His 1876 catalog is credited with introducing the genre of Near Eastern photographic portraiture.
Administration
Custodial History
Purchased, May 1997.
Digital Content
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Preferred Citation
Felix Bonfils Photographs, FSA A1997.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
More Information
Local Numbers
Local Numbers
FSA A1997.03
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Damascus (Syria) | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Istanbul (Turkey) | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Constantinople (Turkey) | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Panoramas | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Photographs | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Albumen prints -- 1860-1880 | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Turkey -- Istanbul Province -- Constantinople (Istanbul) | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Syria -- Damascus -- Damascus | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
National Museum of Asian Art Archives
Washington, D.C. 20013
AVRreference@si.edu
