593 - Louis-Auguste Bisson Frères (Paris 1814 - 1876 Paris)

Louis-Auguste Bisson Frères (Paris 1814 - 1876 Paris) Swiss Alps, Matterhorn Range, around 1862 albumen print 22,3 x 47,8 cm Additional participating artist: Auguste-Rosalie Bisson Frères (Paris 1826 – 1900 Paris) SCHÄTZPREIS / ESTIMATE € 1200 - 2400 STARTPREIS / STARTING PRICE € 1200 The Bisson brothers—Louis-Auguste Bisson (1814–1876, known as "Bisson the Elder") and Auguste-Rosalie Bisson (1826–1900, known as "Bisson the Younger")—were two pioneers of 19th-century French photography. From 1841 onwards, they operated a photography studio in Paris under the name "Bisson Frères." Initially specializing in portraiture, the studio quickly gained renown—later particularly for its views of Parisian architecture and a series of photographs depicting the Mont Blanc massif. With their 1861 ascent, they also produced the very first high-altitude mountain photographs. Within the landscape of early French photography, the Bisson brothers stand alongside pioneers such as Félix Nadar, Édouard Baldus, Gustave Le Gray, Henri Le Secq, and Charles Nègre. Together with these photographers, they helped evolve 19th-century photography beyond the realm of traditional portraiture, establishing it as a distinct medium for architectural, landscape, travel, and documentary photography. Their monumental images of the Mont Blanc massif and the Alps, in particular, mark a significant milestone in the history of high-altitude and landscape photography—a context in which the later work of the Tairraz family of photographers is also significant. Through their large-format, technically sophisticated images, the Bisson brothers combined precise observation of nature with a photographic rendering of rock, glaciers, and high-mountain landscapes that was unprecedented at the time, thereby establishing themselves as defining figures in 19th-century French photography. PLEASE NOTE: The purchase price consists of the highest bid plus the buyer's premium, sales tax and, if applicable, the fee of artists resale rights and platform fee. In the case of normal taxation (marked ° at the estimate), a premium of 24% is added to the highest bid. The mandatory sales tax is added to the sum of the highest bid, the buyer's premium and platform fee. This amounts to 13% for paintings, drawings, graphic works and sculptures and 20% for photographs and all other items. The buyer's premium amounts to 28% in case of differential taxation. The sales tax is included in the differential taxation.