4020 - Braun, Adolphe

Braun, Adolphe St. Moritz from the Johannisberg. ca. 1870. Albumen print, mounted on card. 21.8 x 28 cm (mount 26 x 33 cm). Titled “St. Moritz taken from the Johannesberg” in ink below the image. This view is part of Braun’s extensive Swiss landscape series, through which the photographer—already renowned for his flower studies—became a leading publisher of photographic travel views. Created 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 late nineteenth century; the seated figure in the foreground appears to be Braun’s brother. – Mount lightly stained by age, with extensive tears, chipping, and losses along the right edge and a few smaller edge defects elsewhere; the print shows 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 the distant landscape, while the darker tones remain strong; otherwise in good condition.