4020 - Braun, Adolphe

Braun, Adolphe St. Moritz from the Johannisberg. Ca. 1870. Albumen print, mounted to card. 21,8 x 28 cm (mount 26 x 33 cm). Titled "St. Moritz taken from the Johannesberg." in ink below image. This view belongs to Braun’s extensive Swiss landscape campaign, through which the photographer, already renowned for his flower studies, became a leading publisher of photographic travel views. Made for an expanding international market, these Alpine images balance topographical precision with the picturesque. The choice of St. Moritz reflects the growing prominence of the Engadine as a resort in the later nineteenth century; the seated figure in the foreground appears to be Braun’s brother. – Mount lightly time-stained, with extensive tears, chipping and losses along the right edge and a few smaller edge defects elsewhere; print with prominent dark diagonal retouching in the lower foreground, scattered surface marks and small scratches, and fine craquelure in the sky area; some fading, particularly in the upper half and distant landscape, while the darker tones remain strong, otherwise in good condition.