Emile Bechard (French, 1844-1905) and Hippolyte Delie (French, 1841-1899). Three albumen prints. (1) "Planche 30 (Mirror, bracelets. Plate 30)" and (2) "Planche 31 (Plate 31)" from "Album du Musee de Boulaq" by Auguste Edouard Mariette Bey (French, 1821-1881). Publisher: Moures in Cairo, Egypt, 1872. (3) "Thebes Colosses de Memnon" from "L'Egypte et La Nubie: Grand Album Monumental Historique Architectural" by Andre Palmieri. Publisher: Andre Palmieri and Emile Bechard in Paris, 1887. Title in lower left and signed "H. Bechard" in lower right. A trio of fascinating 19th-century albumen prints depicting monuments and artifacts of Ancient Egypt. Famous for his genre scenes and adeptly arranged Egyptian views, as well as his cunningly composed versions of Egypt’s cultural heritage, ancient or medieval, Emile Bechard additionally created work of a more documentary nature, illustrating some of the first collections of Egyptology. Size of largest (Colosses de Memnon): 14" L x 9.75" W (35.6 cm x 24.8 cm); of matte: 20.25" L x 16" W (51.4 cm x 40.6 cm)

The signature of "H. Bechard" appears on negatives of most of his landscape and architectural work, including the view of the Colosses of Memnon seen here, leading to the attribution of Hippolyte Delie, Emile Bechard's brother and business partner who had, for some reason, changed his name. According to a label on the verso of "Mirror, bracelets, plate 30": "Auguste Edouard Mariette Bey commissioned Delie and Bechard to photograph the antiquity collection of the Musee de Boulaq soon after their arrival from France. With a text edited by Mariette, the edition of 40 photographs was published by Moures and Cie in a luxurious format and it received immediate acclaim. The collection was later incorporated into the Cairo Museum. Delie and Bechard remained partners until the mid 1870's."

A label on the verso of "The Colosses of Memnon" states: "Soon after his arrival in Egypt Bechard collaborated with his partner, Hippolyte Delie in the production of the Album du Musee Boulaq, depicting an early collection of Egyptian antiquities, later incorporated into the Cairo Museum. He later produced a monumental album of the archeological sites and antiquities of Egypt, with 150 photographs, of which this print is an example. At the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1878 he was awarded a first class gold medal."

Provenance: ex-Royal Athena Galleries, New York City, New York, USA

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#175638

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