952 - Unknown (19th century), The Maria Theresa Monument in Vienna, around 1880, albumen paper print

Unknown (19th century), The Maria Theresa Monument in Vienna, around 1880, albumen paper print Unknown (19th century): Maria Theresa Monument on Museum Square in Vienna, c. 1880, albumen paper print Technique: albumen paper print, mounted on cardboard Inscription: At the bottom, inscribed on the backing: "- Vienne - monument de Marie-Thérèse". Date: c. 1880 Description: Original photograph with high sharpness of detail. An early example of travel photography. Around the middle of the 19th century, more and more tourists from middle-class backgrounds traveled throughout Europe. At that time, taking photographs required a great deal of time and expensive, cumbersome equipment. This made many tourists all the more grateful for the work of professional photography studios on site, which allowed them to bring back a memento from afar for those who stayed at home or to collect as souvenirs. The photographers captured the most famous sights of their hometowns and traveled themselves to photograph their clients’ most popular destinations, offering these as albumen prints. Ancient art treasures were also photographed and offered to travelers. The high-quality photographs of sculptures and frescoes continued to make an important contribution to documenting art treasures and making them accessible to scholars from all over Europe, who previously had to rely on tracings or engravings if they could not view the original for themselves. Keywords: Travel photography; Souvenir; Veduta; View; Architectural photography; Vienna; Residence; Museum; Museum of Art History; Museum of Natural History; Maria Theresa; Reign; Habsburg; Monarchy; Sculpture; Monument; Monument, 19th century, Historicism, Architecture, Austria, Vienna, Size: Cardboard: 34.0 cm x 27.0 cm (13.4 x 10.6 in), Image: 26.5 cm x 21.7 cm (10.4 x 8.5 in) Condition: In fairly good condition. The photograph and backing are noticeably wavy. Along the edges, there is slight light damage and pale spots visible in places. There are small blurred areas in the center. The lower right corner is minimally damaged.