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a black and white photo of a group of people in the deserta black and white photo of a building with columnsan old picture of a couple of men standing next to each otheran old book sitting on top of a table next to a white walla picture of an old photo of a building
Premium Maître Paul PASTAUD

311 - Egypt – BECHARD (Emile). Album of original photographs of Eg…
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Estimate €700 - €800
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Description
Egypt – BECHARD (Emile). Album of original photographs of Egyptian landscapes and antiquities. No place, [c. 1870]. Folio, green half-shagreen, ribbed spine (contemporary binding). Set of 54 albumen prints (captions, numbering and signature ‘H. Béchard’ on the negatives). Subjects depicted include: Guezireh Bridge, the Arab Fountain (Sebille), Sultan Assan’s Mosque, Entrance to the Citadel and the Mehemet Ali Mosque, the Tomb and Mosque of Caï Bey, the Mamluk Tombs, a general view of Cairo, the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Thebes – general view of the Ramesseum. The Colossi of Memnon at Thebes; a view of Karnak from the village and the funerary mountain; a general view of the temple at Karnak; the obelisk of Ramses II at Luxor; Edfu; a view of the cataracts at Aswan; and the island of Philae, photographed from Biggeh. Emile Béchard (1840–1891) worked in Cairo from 1869 to 1873, in partnership with Hippolyte Délié, in his studio on Rue du Mousky in the Ezbekiya district. He subsequently continued to live there until 1880 (or 1890?). The prints are signed H. Béchard, with ‘H’ standing for either Hippolyte or Henri. Henri is likely to be an alternative first name. As for Hippolyte, he was a brother who never worked in Egypt, but who was responsible for the widespread distribution of Émile’s photographs, culminating in the 1878 World’s Fair. The album also contains 31 albumen prints with handwritten captions on the mount: 13 signed ‘Antonio Beato’ on the negative (Ruins of Medinet Abu, Valley of the Kings, Ramaseum, Karnak – general view of the pylons, Luxor), and 18 unsigned (Medinet Abu – peristyle of Ramses II, Colossi of Memnon, Philae – Temple of Isis). All the photographs in the album measure approximately 27 x 33 cm, and most are mounted using eyelets, whilst the others are glued directly onto the backing board. Good print quality.
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About the sale MONTIGNAC – 31st BOOK SALE – Day 1 of 4 – Nos. 1 to 549
Auction location
Auction time 08/19/2026 at 11:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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