Brehme (Hugo) Views of the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1920

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Summary

Title:
Hugo Brehme Views of the Mexican Revolution
Dates:
1913-1920
Creators:
Brehme, Hugo
Abstract:
German-born Mexican photographer. Photographs by Hugo Brehme document two episodes of the Mexican Revolution: La Decena Trágica of 1913, the ten days of counter-revolutionary insurrections against President Francisco Madero; and the American occupation of Veracruz in 1914. Also included are several general views of Mexico taken between 1914 and 1920.
Extent:
108 photographs (1 box)
Language:
Collection material is in German and Spanish.
Preferred citation:

Hugo Brehme views of the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1920, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 98.R.5

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa98r5

Background

Scope and content:

The collection documents two significant episodes of the Mexican Revolution: La Decena Trágica of 1913, the ten days of counter-revolutionary insurrections against President Francisco Madero, culminating in Madero's arrest and betrayal by Victoriana Huerta; and the American occupation of Veracruz in 1914, Woodrow Wilson's effort to oust Huerta and thereby correct the Taft administration's collusion in Madero's defeat and assassination. The twenty-nine images taken in Mexico City in February 1913 show cannon-bombed buildings, groups of Maderistas, and scenes at the Ciudadela, which was held by the Felicistas. Sixty-three images of U.S. forces in Veracruz depict battleships and the fieldcamp where American soldiers lived during the occupation. There are also four photographs related to Emilio Zapata's entry into Cuernavaca in 1911 following the resignation of President Porfirio Díaz. The general views of Mexico offer a sample of the pictorialism for which Brehme is known; these include landscapes and local color images, with some photographs related to developments in the Revolution after 1914.

Annotations on versos are in German and Spanish. German annotations are in the hand of Wilhelm Weber, Brehme's partner. Numbers at the beginning of the annotations may refer to negative and/or file numbers.

Biographical / historical:

Hugo Brehme, born in Germany in 1882, arrived in Mexico in 1908 with his wife and photographic equipment. Though he expected the visit to be relatively brief, he spent the rest of his life in Mexico and is considered one of the founders of Mexican pictorialist photography. His early photographs were documentary, and include views of the Mexican Revolution that have served as source material for various 20th century Mexican artists. The most famous of these, the portrait of Zapata in Cuernavaca, was for many years attributed to AgustĂ­n VĂ­ctor Casasola, with whom Brehme collaborated from 1913 to1914. After the revolution, Brehme turned to pictorialism, making impressionistic views of the Mexican landscape and inhabitants. These photographs, taken as he wandered with cumbersome equipment through remote, often mountainous regions, were highly acclaimed when published in his collection MĂ©xico Pintoresco (1923). Brehme continued to publish photographs in magazines such as National Geographic and Mapa, and in various books about Mexican culture and geography, until his death in 1954. Brehme, Hugo, MĂ©xico pintoresco, MĂ©xico D.F., 1990 (1923). Brehme, Hugo, MĂ©xico: una naciĂłn persistente: fotografĂ­as, MĂ©xico D.F., 1995. Brehme, Hugo, Pueblos y paisajes de MĂ©xico, MĂ©xico D.F., 1992.

Acquisition information:
Acquired in 1998.
Processing information:

Annette Leddy researched and processed the photographs and wrote this finding aid in Fall 1998. Beth Ann Guynn revised the finding aid in Spring 2007.

Arrangement:

Arranged in four serises: Series I. Emilio Zapata in Cuernavaca, 1911; Series II. La Decena Trágica, 1913 Feb 9-18; Series III. American forces in Veracruz, 1914; Series IV. General views, 1913-1920.

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

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Annette Leddy and Beth Ann Guynn.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-06-26 10:13:54 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers.

Terms of access:

Contact the Head of Special Collections, Getty Research Institute for copyright information and permission to publish.

Preferred citation:

Hugo Brehme views of the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1920, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 98.R.5

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa98r5

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