Carte-de-visite album of Algeria, 1870s-1880s

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Summary

Title:
Carte-de-visite album of Algeria
Dates:
1870s-1880s
Creators:
Leroux, A. (Alexandre), 1836-1912
Abstract:
The carte-de-visite album contains 50 cartes-de-visite of Algeria and Algerians by various photographers including Jean Geiser and Alexandre Leroux; a two-part panorama of Algiers by Jean Geiser made from two joined horizontal cabinet cards; and a panoramic view of Oran by A. Decugis showing the port and military hospital, also on a horizontal cabinet card.
Extent:
1 Linear Feet (Album of 52 photographs)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Carte-de-visite album of Algeria, 1870s-1880s, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2019.R.1.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2019r1

Background

Scope and content:

The album contains 50 cartes-de-visite of Algeria and Algerians by various photographers; a two-part panorama of Algiers by Jean Geiser made from two joined horizontal cabinet cards; and a panoramic view of Oran by A. Decugis showing the port and military hospital, also on a horizontal cabinet card.

The Geiser panorama of Algiers is the first image in the album, adhered to the verso of the blank page preceding the carte-de-visite mounts. The first part of the album is devoted to views of Algiers, Blida, and Oran, while the remaining images are studio portraits of Algerian "types." The larger view of Oran is the final image in the album.

Rather than being inserted in their slots back-to-back, the cartes-de-visite are arranged in the album so that their versos are showing. The makers of the bulk of the photographs are not identified by imprints on their versos, and any imprints on their rectos are covered by the album mounts. In addition to Geiser and Decugis, photographers known to be represented in the album include Alexandre Leroux; L. Cairol; Elie Karsenty; and A. Rigod.

The album has bossed brown calf covers with floral and geometric designs.

Ink annotations are written in French on the versos of 33 of the cartes-de-visite, and on the rectos of the panoramas of Algiers and Oran.

Biographical / historical:

Lucien-Jacob Geiser (1810-1852), an ébéniste by trade, immigrated to Algeria from Switzerland with his wife Julie and three sons in 1850, but died shortly thereafter in 1852. It is unclear whether Geiser père opened the photography business or his widow Julie opened it after her husband's death, but the family eventually partnered with Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Alary (1810-c. 1867), an early daguerreotypist, renaming the firm Alary & Geiser. After Alary's death the youngest Geiser son, Jean-Théophile (1848-1923), took over the business, running it into the 1920s under the name Jean Geiser.

Alexandre Leroux owned and operated a photography studio in Algiers from the 1870s until his death in 1912. After his death, his sons continued selling his prints using his stamp.

Little is known about the photographers L. Cairol; A. Decugis; Elie Karsenty; and A. Rigod.

Acquisition information:
Acquired in 2019.
Processing information:

The finding aid was written by Beth Ann Guynn in 2019.

Arrangement:

The album is arranged in a single series: Series I.Carte-de-visite album of Algeria, 1870s-1880s.

Physical location:
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Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Beth Ann Guynn
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-03-19 09:07:59 -0700 .

Access and use

Terms of access:

Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions.

Open for use by qualified researchers.

Preferred citation:

Carte-de-visite album of Algeria, 1870s-1880s, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2019.R.1.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2019r1

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
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