Item #8936 [Album of 159 Original Gelatin Silver Photos of Buenos Aires and Argentina, Including 147 Real Photo Postcards and Four Views of Baptist Theological Seminary and College in Buenos Aires, and a Baptist Church in Adrogue]. ARGENTINA - BAPTISTS.

[ARGENTINA - BAPTISTS]

[Album of 159 Original Gelatin Silver Photos of Buenos Aires and Argentina, Including 147 Real Photo Postcards and Four Views of Baptist Theological Seminary and College in Buenos Aires, and a Baptist Church in Adrogue].

Ca. 1930s.

Item #8936

Oblong Folio album (ca. 25,5x30,5 cm). 24 card stock album leaves with tissue guards. With eight large studio photos ca. 17,5x23,5 cm (7 x 9 ¼ in) or slightly smaller, all with printed captions and studios’ credits on the margins; three photos with period pencil notes “two colored slides of this” on verso; two photos - with ink stamps “Fot. La Prensa, 13 Nov. 1927” on verso. With four amateur gelatin silver photos from ca. 8x14 cm (3 ¼ x 5 ½ in) to ca. 6x8,5 cm (2 ¼ x 3 ¼ in), two photos with period pencil notes “1 colored slide” on verso. Five photos with period ink captions on the mounts. With 147 real photo postcards, all with captions and photographers’ credits in negative or on the margins. Period brown hardcover album with a faded gilt-stamped title “Photographs” on the front board. Partly removed presentation inscription on the inner side of the front cover. Tissue guards with minor creases or tears on extremities, binding slightly rubbed, but overall a very good album with strong interesting photos.

Attractive extensive collection of original photos and real photo postcards of Argentina including many ethnographic portraits, most likely assembled and taken by a member of the US Baptist congregation during their visit to Buenos Aires in the 1930s (partly removed presentation inscription on the inner side of the album’s front cover suggests the approximate date of 1939). The album contains eight large studio photos by “G. Bourquin y Cia” and “Fot. La Prensa,” showing birds-eye views of Buenos Aires, the façade and the reception hall of La Prensa building, a yerba mate farm in the Misiones province and a local woman. 147 real photo postcards by Federico Kohlmann, “G. Bourquin y Cia”, “Union Postale Universelle,” and “Foto F. Riudavets” show Argentinian cities and attractions, including Buenos Aires, San Miguel de Tucuman and Tucuman Province, Mendoza, the Andes, Iguazu Falls, Nahuel Huapi Lake, Terra del Fuego province (Ushuaia, Beagle Channel, Puerto Eugenia), Chubut province (Puerto Madryn, oil fields), Santa Cruz province (Argentino Lake, Puerto San Julian, glaciers, a sheep farm), &c. There are also portraits of indigenous people (Yaghan, Chiriguano, Chaco, Tehuelche, Coya), over twenty photos of gauchos and scenes of their work and pastime, images of Argentinian fauna, &c.
Four amateur gelatin silver photos show the “Baptist Theological Seminary, Buenos Aires,” “Adrogue Baptist Church” (with a visible sign “Templo Evangelico Bautista”) and “Baptist College – B. Aires” (two photos, one features a visible sign “Colegio Bautista. Curso primario con examen oficial. Programa diario de ocho horas. Medio pupilos. Clases Ingles”). Pencil notes on verso of several photos and at least one postcard, talking about “1 colored slide” or “two colored slides of this,” suggest that the images could be used as illustrations for a later report, compiled by the visitor after their return from Argentina. The spelling of the word “colored” indicates that the visitor was most likely from the United States. Overall an attractive collection of photos and real photo postcards of Argentina in the 1930s, with a connection to the local Baptist community.

Price: $3,250.00

Status: On Hold

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