4078 - Peru

Peru Photographers: Sociedad Fotográfica Lima (Eugène Maunoury & Cía.). Lima: Puente de Piedra and general view from Cerro San Cristóbal. 1862–1863. 2 albumen prints, mounted on card. Approx. 12 x 16.8 cm (mounts 17 x 24 cm). Each bears an embossed “SOCIEDAD FOTOGRÁFICA / LIMA” stamp; inscribed in ink “Lima. El Puente. 1862." and "Vista general de Lima, tomada del Cerro San Cristóbal."; one numbered "No. 17". Published by Sociedad Fotográfica Lima, these early albumen views are part of one of the first sustained photographic campaigns dedicated to the Peruvian capital. The studio was founded by the French photographer Eugène Maunoury at 71 Calle del Palacio in 1862, at a formative moment in the development of commercial photography in Lima. Its workshop employed Eugène Courret shortly before he established Fotografía Central, the firm that would become a major force in Peruvian photography later in the century. Retaining their original handwritten titles and studio blindstamps, these rare prints document the emergence of Lima’s urban identity as a subject for photographic circulation. – Mounts show scattered foxing, soiling, minor handling marks, and edge wear; both prints have minor surface marks and slight fading, one with a long diagonal scratch or abrasion on the left; otherwise, both are in good condition.