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three black and white photographs of a woman in a long dressthree old bookplates with different designs on them in a black case
Balsan Encheres

772 - TOURS – THREE PHOTOGRAPHS by GABRIEL BLAISE (*), circa 1860–…
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Estimate €75
Sale commission
Description
TOURS – THREE PHOTOGRAPHS by GABRIEL BLAISE (*), circa 1860–1870. Three portraits of the local upper middle class, wearing the beautiful gowns of that opulent Second Empire period: a young girl and two women standing facing the camera. - Bromide prints mounted on card, visiting-card size 10.5 x 6.2 cm – Three different types of reverse, medallions and address details for 38 Rue Royale. ( * ) Gabriel Blaise 1827–1897: photographer in Tours from 1859 to 1876 and from 1885 to 1888. Born in Paris; an orphan, he was taken in by his aunt in Tours. Trained in intaglio printing, he worked with MAME – at the age of 32, in 1859, he set up his own photography studio on Tours’s main thoroughfare at 38 Rue Royale (now Rue Nationale). He remained there until 1866, then built his new studio at 4–6 Rue de la Préfecture (1866 to 1888) – He was an artist; in addition to producing visiting-card photographs like his colleagues, he undertook work in all formats on all types of media, took part in World’s Fairs, and so on. He became the new go-to photographer for the bourgeoisie and official bodies. In 1866, his new premises on Rue de la Préfecture impressed *Le Journal d’Indre & Loire*: “We visited the studios that Mr Blaise has just had built…...which stands out for its unrivalled facilities; the great Parisian houses would envy his north-facing studio, the largest of its kind in Tours....’. The War of 1870 would establish Blaise as one of Tours’ leading photographers. The Government of National Defence (Gambetta) set up a carrier pigeon service, and it was Gabriel Blaise who took charge of producing photographic reductions of the dispatches. He also commissioned, for posterity, 19 albums of photographs of the bridges over the Loire and structures that had been destroyed or damaged to prevent the Prussians from crossing. As a photographer keen to explore innovative techniques, he went on to achieve many other technical feats: Blaise’s biography runs to five A4 pages – if the buyer of this lot so wishes, they may ask me for a photocopy.
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About the sale SALE OF COINS, BANKNOTES, MEDALS, CIVILIAN AND MILITARY HEADGEAR, INSIGNIA AND DECORATIONS – lots 300 to 598 Followed by OLD PAPERS, PHOTOGRAPHS, POSTCARDS, DOCUMENTS AND MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS – Lots 599 to 862
Auction location
Auction time 10/20/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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