Photography

[Photo book] Defregger, F. (artist) / Hanfstaengel, Frans (publisher)

F. Defregger Album. Zwölf photographien nach den Original-Gemälden.

München. 1881-1886. Portfolio 23 x 16,5 cm. Title + 12 mounted albumen photographs. The photos are mounted to heavy cardboards and loose in the portfolio, as issued.

Original blind pressed cloth portfolio with rich decorations in black, gilt, grey and red. The card boards have a printed frame and text. The title at a label below the photo. One label with small loss, One card board foxed. The occasonal spot to the other card boards. The title with a little browning. The cloth portfolio in wonderful condition.

Franz Defregger was an austrian painter living in Munich. He was a vivid depictor of tyrolian folk life in the Düsseldorf style of painting. He became a professor at the Munich Academy. Here we have some of his painting reproduced in photography housed in a handsome portfolio. Reproductions of art work in photography was very popular in the second half of the19th. century, eventhough it was only possible to make black and white photos. Photography made it possible for the first time to exactly reproduce art and distribute it among a great number of people. But these photographs soon became obsolete when fine colour reproductions became available. They have not been valued in the 20th. century. Mosthave been thrown away, which means that these importtant documents of early photo reproduction are scarce today.

Item No: 2950