1159 - “Genève”, Geneva with Hôtel des Bergues and Île Rousseau, veduta, publ. Dikenmann, 2nd half 19th c.

“Genève”, Geneva with Hôtel des Bergues and Île Rousseau, veduta, publ. Dikenmann, 2nd half 19th c. coloured aquatint etching on paper, 2nd half 19th c., inscribed above the image “Hôtel des Bergues.” and “Ile de J.J. Rousseau.”, titled below “Genève prise depuis l'Hotel de l'Ecu.” and inscribed “Zürich chez R. Dikenmann.”, view of Geneva looking from the Hôtel de l'Écu to the Hôtel des Bergues and the Île Rousseau, in the foreground a bridge with passers-by and a carriage, boats on the water, in the background the lake with sailing boats, published by R. Dikenmann, Zurich, condition commensurate with age, partially rubbed, image 7.5x11 cm (HxW), mount, framed under glass, frame rubbed, overall size 21.5x24.5 cm (HxW) The Zurich art publishing house of Rudolf Dikenmann (1793–1884) and his son Johann Rudolf Dikenmann (1832–1888) shaped the image of Switzerland for travellers and collectors in the 19th c. The views were engraved in aquatint after sketched models, printed in black and blue and partly coloured by hand by family members; from 1852 the studio was at Rindermarkt 14 in Zurich. The small-format vedute were produced by the thousands and were aimed at tourists as travel souvenirs. The Île Rousseau depicted, formerly Île aux Barques, lies where Lake Geneva flows into the Rhône. In 1834 the engineer Guillaume Henri Dufour connected the island to the shore with the Pont des Bergues, and in 1835 the bronze statue of Jean-Jacques Rousseau by the sculptor James Pradier was unveiled there.