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portrait of a man in a white robe in a black leather casean old black and white photo of a man and a woman in a rooman open book with two pictures of a man and a womanan open book with two pictures of a city in it
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1377 - America – George Pax An important ecclesiastical album from …
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Estimate €850 - €1,200
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Description
America – George Pax An important ecclesiastical album from Buffalo, N.Y. (c. 1865 – early 1870s). Presumably compiled by the Catholic priest Georg Pax. Contains 40 mounted original photographs (36 albumen prints, 3 presumed ferrotypes/tintypes, predominantly in carte-de-visite format, mounted loosely in gold-framed passe-partouts on the front and back of 20 white cardboard sheets. Contemporary black morocco leather binding with gold title ‘Album’ on the spine, a metal clasp on the front edge, gold lace trim (dentelles) on the inside, and gilt edges on all sides. Front cover featuring a finely painted, raised medallion: a half-length portrait of Pope Pius IX in tempera, set within a silver frame. 21.5 × 17 cm. (Minimal scuffing to the corners and edges.) This impressive album is divided into three thematic groups: 32 cityscapes of Buffalo featuring street scenes, striking buildings, parks and panoramic views of what was then New York’s second-largest city; five views of the city’s Catholic churches; and eight portraits of Catholic clergy, including four portraits of the album’s owner, Georg Pax, himself. Among the portraits of clergy are three particularly significant depictions of the American church hierarchy of that time. Among others, the album features John McCloskey (1810–1885), who in 1864 became the first American-born Archbishop of New York and held this office until his death in 1885. In 1875, he was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Pius IX, becoming the first American cardinal. Also included is John Timon, the first bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, established in 1847 by Pius IX who served in this role from 1847 until his death in 1867 and expanded the diocese from an initial 16 churches and 16 priests to nearly 200 churches and 110 priests. Also included is Stephen Vincent Ryan, the second Bishop of Buffalo, who succeeded Timon in 1868 and served until his death in 1896. The album originally bore Georg Pax’s printed ‘book label’ on the front endpaper, as well as a pasted-in printed personal record containing biographical details: born in 1832 in the village of Sarreinsming in Lorraine (France). Pax was ordained a priest in 1861 and appointed secretary to the Bishop of Buffalo in 1862 – a circumstance which explains his close proximity to Bishop Timon and his successor Ryan, and makes his privileged access to their portrait photographs plausible. The period during which the album was compiled (from around 1865 to the early 1870s) is consistent with the assumption that Pax began compiling it prior to his 1873 trip to Rome, during which he was granted an audience with Pope Pius IX —an event which provides the biographical and iconographical motivation for the extraordinary decoration of the front cover with the painted medallion portrait of Pius IX. Loosely enclosed is a contemporary, double-sided, handwritten index (presumably also compiled by Pax), which describes and identifies the individual photographs – an extremely valuable accompanying item for provenance research and the precise identification of the images. In the 1860s and early 1870s, Buffalo developed into the second-largest city in the State of New York and was a major centre of the Catholic immigrant community, primarily of Irish and German origin. The church buildings and cityscapes documented in the album date from a period of intensive urban and ecclesiastical growth under Bishop Timon, who brought numerous religious orders – including the Franciscans, Jesuits, Vincentians and several congregations of nuns – to the diocese to establish parishes, schools and seminaries. – A rare source on the Catholic Church in Buffalo. United States. – An important clerical album from Buffalo, N.Y. (c. 1865 – early 1870s). Probably compiled by the Catholic priest Georg Pax. Contains 40 mounted original photographs (36 albumen prints, 3 probable ferrotypes/tintypes), predominantly in carte-de-visite format, loosely contained in gilt-ruled mounts on the front and back of 20 white cardboard leaves. Contemporary black morocco binding with a gilt title ‘Album’ on the spine, one metal clasp at the fore-edge, gilt dentelles along the inner edges, all edges gilt. Front cover featuring a finely painted, raised medallion: a half-length tempera portrait of Pope Pius IX, framed in silver. 21.5 × 17 cm. (Minor scuffing to the corners and edges.) This striking album is divided into three thematic groups: 32 views of Buffalo depicting street scenes, notable buildings, parks and panoramic views of what was then the second-largest city in the state of New York; five views of the city’s Catholic churches; and eight portraits of Catholic clergy, including four photographs of the album’s owner, Georg Pax, himself. Among the portraits of clergy are three particularly significant depictions of the American ecclesiastical hierarchy of the period. The album includes, amongst others, a portrait of John McCloskey (1810–1885), who in 1864 was installed as the first American-born Archbishop of New York, a position he held until his death in 1885. In 1875 he was elevated by Pope Pius IX to become the first American cardinal. It also includes John Timon, the first bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, established by Pius IX in 1847, who held the office from 1847 until his death in 1867 and expanded the diocese from an initial 16 churches and 16 priests to nearly 200 churches and 110 priests. Also included is Stephen Vincent Ryan, the second Bishop of Buffalo, who succeeded Timon in 1868 and served until his death in 1896. Provenance: Georg Pax The album originally bore Georg Pax’s printed book label on the front endpaper, along with a pasted-in printed personal record providing biographical details: born in 1832 in the small Lorraine village of Sarreinsming, France. Pax was ordained a priest in 1861 and appointed secretary to the Bishop of Buffalo in 1862—a circumstance that explains his close association with Bishop Timon and his successor Ryan, and which makes his privileged access to their portrait photographs plausible. The period during which the album was compiled (roughly 1865 to the early 1870s) coincides with the assumption that Pax put it together before his journey to Rome in 1873, where he was granted an audience with Pope Pius IX – an event that provides both a biographical and iconographic motivation for the extraordinary decoration of the front cover with the painted portrait medallion of Pius IX. Loosely inserted is a contemporary, double-page folded manuscript index (probably also written by Pax) describing and identifying the individual photographs—an extremely valuable accompanying item for provenance research and for the precise identification of the images. In the 1860s and early 1870s, Buffalo grew to become the second-largest city in the state of New York and was an important centre of the Catholic immigrant community, chiefly of Irish and German origin. The church buildings and city views documented in the album date from a period of intensive urban and ecclesiastical growth under Bishop Timon, who brought numerous religious orders—including Franciscans, Jesuits, Vincentians and several congregations of nuns—into the diocese to establish parishes, schools and seminaries. A rare source for the history of the Catholic Church in Buffalo. This lot is subject to standard tax. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is payable on the hammer price, and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offset Prints, Photographs) is payable on the final invoice amount within the European Union. This lot is subject to the standard tax regime. A 24.95% buyer’s premium applies to the hammer price, and 7% (books and art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints and photographs) applies to the final invoice amount within the European Union.
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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