Description
Album of photographs (12 x 19 cm or smaller, some cropped) taken in Mexico, probably between 1883 and 1900.
Background
Includes photographs from "Vistas mexicanas" and "Tipos mexicanos," two series published by the French photographer Abel Briquet
during the 1880s. His signature is visible on three of the photographs, and may have been cropped from others. Briquet worked
in Paris beginning in the 1850s, and in 1883, arrived in Mexico, commissioned to photograph the rail line between Veracruz
and Mexico City, and the port of Veracruz. Nine photographs, all views of Guanajuato, are inscribed on verso: "Compliments
of Harvey Tin Mine", and signed "G[eorge] W. McElhiney." McElhiney, an American businessman and mine owner, was instrumental
in creating the Guanajuato Power and Electric Company which allowed for the successful development of the mining industry
around Guanajuato. The many views of Guanajuato in the album, including scenes of local mining operations, and the Presa La
Esperanza, a dam for generating electrical power completed in 1893, suggest that the album may possibly have been compiled
as a souvenir for businessmen or potential mining investors visiting the Guanajuato area.
Extent
1 album (34 photographic prints) : albumen ; 21 x 26 cm.
Photographs mounted on leaves of medium gray heavy paper, with calligraphic captions in English in white ink; bound in matching
gray paper covers sewn with dark red thread; embossed title "Deckle Photones" on front cover, within an embossed wreath.
Spec. Coll. copy: In modern beige cloth clamshell box with velcro closure.
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the
creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright
owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.