Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller - Old and Rare Books

Das Malerische Mexiko (The Picturesque Mexico) [With 10 Original Photographs Laid In]

Brehme, Hugo (Ed.)

Mexico City: Hugo Brehme Fotografia Artistica, 1923. First edition & Original Photographs. Hardcover, Photographs. Small Folio. xxvii pp., 197 plates. Original brown quarter leather over textured brown paper-covered boards with gilt emblem, lettering and ruling on cover, gilt lettering on spine. Brown endpapers. Title page with b/w emblem and black triple ruling. Foreword and text by Hugo Brehme.

With descriptive table of photogravure plates published in the book following the text, including photographic series on the capitol, the capitol's surroundings, volcanos, the inner part of the country, archaeology, and the various ethnicities of Mexico. An attempt to enrich the vast number of publications on "the land of promise," as it was perceived in the early part of the century, with a photographic survey, presenting the beauty and cultural richness of Mexico, its abundance and variety of settings ranging from tropic areas along its coasts to the regions of perpetual snow. This extraordinary collection of photographs is accompanied by an introductory text on Mexico. The photographs are taken from the vast collection of the editor and were available separately as art prints. Cover design by Max Krause, Berlin.

[WITH]

10 original photographs; eight signed and titled in negative, one is stamped and titled on verso, one just titled on verso. Three of them, No. 1, 2., and 3a below, are reproduced in the publication in.

1. "285 El Pico de Orizaba" (10 3/4 x 13 3/4"). Title and "H. Brehme Mexico Prop." manuscript annotations in lower left corner of print. Published. Small chips at three corners and slight creasing upper left and lower right corners.

2. Two photographs

a) "No. 5950. Mexico, D.F. Parque de Chapultepec Hugo Brehme Mexico,-, Es propiedad" printed to lower right corner of photo. (11 3/4 x 9 1/2"). Published. Minor wear along white frame and very light waving at left and right edges.

b) "No. 5832, Lago de Chapala, Hugo Brehme, Mexico,- Es propiedad" as above (9 1/2 x 11 3/4"). This spectacular photograph depicts a sail boat on Lake Chapala; not published. Very light wear in white edges, photograph near fine.

3. Five Photographs (7 3/4 x 9 7/8"). Photos b through d stamped Hugo Brehme, Mexico, D.F. with company address and copyright remark on upper left corner of versos. Photo described under a is blank on verso.

a) "1273 Los Volcanes desde el San Miguel" and Hugo Brehme company detail stamped to lower left and right corner. Published.

b) "220 La Piramide Del Sol San Juan Teotihuacan" printed to left "HBrehme Prop." to right lower corner. Showing a variant of the published photograph. Small, light smudge at center of upper edge.

c) "No. 1897 El Desierto De Los Leones printed to left lower corner.

d) "17926 Cholula La Piramide" printed to lower left corner.

e) "252 El Pico de Orizaba" printed to lower left, Brehme's company detail to right.

4. Two photos (5 x 7") without descriptors on image.

a) Orizaba volcano "74. Desde el San Miguel" in pencil at top left of verso, Brehme company stamp in blue at lower left corner.

b) Mexican farmer crossing river on a mule carrying large basket with fruit. Penciled to verso the number 2359 and Oaxaca. Very good. Item #54555

Hugo Brehme (1882-1954) emigrated to Mexico in 1908. He established his photo studio "Fotografia Artistica Hugo Brehme" in 1912. He was successful for some forty years with photographs depicting rural Mexico, scenic landscapes, modern monuments and archeological sites. Brehme's photos were published in tourist guides, magazines, and on postcards. He was a mentor of noted Mexican photographer Manuel Alvarez Bravo.

Price: $5,000.00