Désiré Charnay, Pal Rosti and B.L, the mystery photographer of the Aztec Sun Stone

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Désiré Charnay arrived in Veracruz in November 1857, and from then in Mexico City probably in December. By January 28th 1858 he already advertised his Photographic gallery (with partners Camus and Pinet) at Calle de Coliseo Viejo 26. And by early May 1858, Julio Michaud announces the publication of Charnay’s Album Fotografico Mexicano, a collection of 25 salt paper prints of the City of Mexico and its vicinity.

Pal Rosti arrived in Veracruz on July 28, 1857 and travelled to and around Mexico City until probably February or March 1858, as he sailed back to Europe on April 7th 1858, from Veracruz.

So between December 1857 and March 1858, Désiré Charnay and Pal Rosti, by far the greatest early photographers of Latin America, are both photographing in the same city. It is tempting to think that they got to know each other – although neither mention a meeting in their extensive mémoires.

Charnay’s Album Fotografico Mexicano and Rosti’s Views of Mexico are some of the earliest photographic views of Mexico on paper, and certainly the most beautiful.

When I visited the Ludwig Museum of Cologne to see the Rosti album (cf previous post) I couldn’t help noticing that Rosti’s view of the Sun Stone is signed, in the negative, with the initials B.L. And that it is remarquably similar to the Sun Stone in Charnay’s Cité et ruines américaines, published by Gide in Paris in 1862. So I asked to see Charnay’s glass negative at the Musée du Quai Branly. And, of course, bingo… In Charnay’s negative, very clearly visible under some ink retouching : the initials B.L.

Pal Rosti, The Sun stone, 1858, from the collection of the Ludwig Museum, Cologne

Pal Rosti, The Sun stone, 1858, from the collection of the Ludwig Museum, Cologne

Negative of Charnay’s Sun Stone, from the Collection of the Quai Branly

Negative of Charnay’s Sun Stone, from the Collection of the Quai Branly, detail of the B.L. initials

So : both Charnay and Rosti made a copy print from an original by a photographer whose initials are B.L.

Obviously : who is this B.L ?

And, why could neither Charnay nor Rosti photograph the Sun Stone themselves ?

To the second question, the answer is probably easy : at the time, the Sun Stone was mounted in the South East wall of the Cathedral of Mexico. It was therefore behind the cathedral fence, and not accessible without permission from the cathedral administration. It is possible then that B.L. had an access, or even a monopoly, on photographing the Sun Stone. Alternatively, it could be that in 1858 the Cathedral went thru some kind of renovation, that the Sun Stone was covered with scaffolding preventing both Charnay and Rosti to photograph it.

So let’s go back the most interesting question : who is B.L. ? And here lies the rub : nobody has any idea.

Could it be Lorenzo Becerril ? It would be highly unusual for a artist of that time to switch his initials in the signature. On top of that, the earliest photographs from Becerril are dated early 1860’s.

Latapi ? Perfect suspect : French, active in Mexico City since 1855. But his first name is Eugène.

The Palmquist and Kailbourn very complete dictionary doesn’t list any B.L active in Mexico in the 1850’s – nor does any history of Mexican photography I am aware of.

Looking forward to hear about any ideas, or leads, from you.

Desire Charnay llega a Veracruz en noviembre de 1857, y de entonces en México ciudad probablemente en diciembre. Alrededor de enero 28 de 1858, ya había publicitado su galería fotográfica (con sus socios Camus y Pinet) en la calle de Coliseo Viejo 26. En mayo 1858, Julio Michaud anuncia la publicación de Charnay Album Fotográfico Mexicano, una colección de 25 salt paper imágenes de la ciudad de México y su inmediaciones.

Pal Rosti llega en Veracruz en julio 28 de1857 y viaja a cuidad México hasta Febrero o Marzo de 1858, vuelve a Europa en abril 7th 1858, dede Veracruz

Así que entre diciembre 1857 y marzo 1858, Desire Charnay y Pal Rosti, probablemente los fotógrafos mas influyentes de la temprana América Latina, están ambos fotografiando en el mismo ciudad. Es tentador pensar que ellos se conocieron – aunque no existe ninguna mención de alguna reunión en sus extensas memorias.

Charnay « Album Fotografico Mexicano » y Rosti’s « Puntos de vista de México » son algunas de las mas tempranas vistas fotográficas de México en papel, y ciertamente de las más bonitas.

Cuando visité el Museo Ludwig de Colonia para ver el álbum de Rosti (cf correo anterior) no pude evitar notar que en la imagen de Rosti de la Piedra del sol esta firmado en el negativo con las iniciales B.L. Y que esta imagen era increíblemente similar a la Piedra del sol en Charnay en la Ciudad y ruinas americanas, publicado por Gide en París en 1862. Asi que pedí ver el negativo de vidrio de Charnay en el Museo del Quai Branly. Y, por supuesto, bingo … en el negativo de Charnay, muy claramente están visibles bajo algunos retoques de tinta: las iniciales B.L.

Entonces: ambos Charnay y Rosti usaron una copia impresa de un original por un fotógrafo cuyas iniciales son B.L.

Evidentemente: quién es este B.L?

Y, por qué ni Charnay ni Rosti fotografíaron la Piedra del sol piedra ellos mismos?

A la segunda pregunta, la respuesta es probablemente fácil: en aquel momento, la Piedra del sol estaba puesto en la pared sur este de la catedral de México. Estaba entonces detrás de la reja de la catedral, y no era accesible sin permiso de la administración de la catedral. Es posible entonces que B.L. tenia acceso, o incluso un monopolio, en fotografiar la Piedra del sol. Alternativamente, pude ser que en 1858 la catedral tuviese alguna clase de restauración, y que la Piedra del sol fue cubierta con andamiaje y que ambos, Charnay y Rosti, no pudieron fotografíarlo.

Así que vamos a volver a la pregunta más interesante: quién es B.L. ? Y aquí se encuentra el acertijo: nadie tiene ninguna idea.

Podría lo ser Lorenzo Becerril? Seria muy excepcional para un artista de este tiempo intercambiar su iniciales en el firma. Y aun mas, las mas tempranas fotografías de Becerril están fechadas en inicios de 1860.

Latapi? Perfecto sospechoso: francés, activo en ciudad de México desde 1855. pero su nombre es Eugenio. El completisimo diccionario Palmquist y Kailbourn compuestísimo no lista ningun B.L activo en México en 1850 – ni ninguna historia de fotorafia mexicana fotografía que yo conozca. Mirar adelante a oír acerca de cualquier idea, o pista, de usted.

Edmond Hamel, pictorialist photographer in Mexico 1903-1919

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We just acquired a wonderful album of pictorialist photographs, most of them taken in and around Mexico City between 1908 and 1919. All the photographs are attributed to Edmond Hamel, a French national living in Mexico. As far as we know, all these prints are unique.

Monumento a Colon, Paseo de la Reforma, circa 1915

Little is known about Edmond Hamel. He probably learnt photography in France and settled in Mexico before 1903. Hamel is listed as a “carroceria” (a coachbuilder) in Mexico City in 1903. He stayed there until at least 1919. His whereabouts after that date are unknown.

Self portrait in photo lab, 1918

Those prints predate Hugo Brehme classic pictorialist views by at least a decade, and might even be earlier than Jose Maria Lupercio’s most bucolic views. The album contains 52 prints, in a variety of process : bromoil, silver gelatin and platinium. A few of them are signed and dated.

The album will be visible during the Paris Photo fair on boot D32. You can also follow us on instagram at : gregoryleroyphoto

Street beggar, Mexico, circa 1905

Street beggar, Mexico, circa 1905

Untitled, Mexico, circa 1905

Peasants and Iztaccihuatl, circa 1915

Xochimilco, 1913

Detail of Edmond Hamel signature

Mexican market, circa 1910

Untitled, circa 1910

Untitled, circa 1910

A Mexican beauty, circa 1915

Untitled, circa 1910

Untitled, circa 1915

Pal Rosti in Mexico, 1857-1858

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Pal Rosti Barkoczi (also known as Paul de Rosti) was a pioneer of photography in Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico.

View of Mexico City from the Cathedral, 1857-1858

View of Mexico City from the Cathedral, 1857-1858

He was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1830. Rosti studied at the university of Munich School of Science for four years then geography and ethnography in Budapest in 1853. In 1854 and 1855, Rosti is probably in Paris, learning photography. Although he doesn’t appear in the extensive list of Gustave Le Gray students, he certainly learnt his waxed paper negative process. On August 4th 1856 he embarks from le Havre to New York, and travels in the United States as far as Wisconsin. In January 1857 he arrives in Cuba. From there he sailed to Venezuela, travelled South to the Orinoco river, then sailed back to the West Indies, on his way to Veracruz, where he landed on July 28th 1857.

Pal Rosti arrives in Mexico almost four months before Désiré Charnay (who lands in Veracruz in late November). Rosti’s views of the Ciudad de Mexico are therefore the earliest views paper photographs of the city. But it is almost certain that Rosti and Charnay met in Mexico City (more on than in our next post…).

Pal Rosti makes at least 32 negatives during his eight months in Mexico – all of them in Mexico City and between Mexico City and Veracruz.

Salto de Agua, Mexico City, 1857-1858

The Salto de Agua and the Belen aqueduct, Mexico City, 1857-1858

Rosti departs Veracruz on April 7t 1858 and lands on 8 August 1858 in Southampton. From there, it is very likely that he travels to Paris, then Hungary thru Berlin. On November 1st 1858, Rosti visits Alexander Von Humboldt, the inspiration for his travel, in his house in Berlin and offers him an album of forty seven photographic views (the copy presently at the Ludwig Museum in Cologne). At the beginning of 1859, he exhibits his photographic views of Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico at the National Casino in Budapest.

The Borda gardens, Cuernavaca, 1857-1858

The bindings of all four existing album bear the mark of Despierres from Paris. We therefore know that all prints were made between his arrival in Southampton and his arrival in Berlin. It is more than likely that the prints were also made in Paris – the Le Gray atelier a prime suspect for such a wonderful job. We also know that Rosti had less than three months, between his arrival in England and his meeting with Humboldt, to have the photographs printed and the album bound – including travel time from Southampton to Berlin via Paris. That might explain why so few copies of the album are known.

La Santissima, Mexico City, 1857-1858

Four albums are known, three of which are located in Hungary and one in Germany. The contents of the three albums located in Hungary are not identical. The copy in the National Széchenyi Library which was originally given to the Hungarian National Museum contains 45 prints, the album in the Museum of Photography contains 47 prints, the album of the Loránd Eötvös Geophysical Institute contains 40 prints. The album in Cologne contained 47 prints (with 5 missing today).

Door of the Sagrario, Mexico City, 1857-1858

In the two 47 prints albums, four pictures show parts of Havana, 11 photograph landscapes and buildings in Venezuela, and the remaining 32 from Mexico.