Edouard Baldus (1813-1889), Tuileries Palace, Signed, Circa 1860, Vintage Albumen Print

Vintage albumen print, signed on the mount. The Louvre and the Tuileries seen from the Cour Napoléon, circa 1860. A very large and beautiful albumen print, with some retouching in the lower right corner of the image above the signature. The sharpness of the details—a horseman in front of the gate, a work cart—humanizes this now-vanished architectural ensemble. Mat 50 x 65 cm. Image size 33 x 44 cm. Mounting plate size 46.5 x 60.5 cm. The Tuileries Palace was the official residence of Louis-Philippe before the February Revolution of 1848. This photograph was taken by Baldus in 1860 from the Cour Napoléon, before the fire of 1871 that destroyed it. Today, the Louvre Pyramid stands on this very spot. In this photograph, Baldus captures the newly completed renovations of the Cour Napoléon: the recently planted trees bear witness to the recent transformation of this iconic space. A copy of this print is held at the Musée Condé – Château de Chantilly. Baldus's photographic work is devoted to architecture and landscape and is marked by official commissions that made him one of Napoleon III's (1813-1889) favorite photographers. He is an official witness to his era through his numerous photographic works on the restoration of monuments and railway construction. Among other things, he documented the reconstruction of the Louvre and the opening of the Paris-Lyon-Marseille railway line. Alongside Hippolyte Bayard (1801-1887), Henri Le Secq (1818-1882), Gustave Le Gray (1820-1884), and O. Mestral (1812-1884), he participated in the 1851 Heliographic Mission commissioned by the Commission of Historical Monuments to compile an inventory of the most remarkable buildings requiring restoration in various regions of France. [Link to the website: https://www.lavalisearlesienne.com/product-page/edouard-baldus-1813-1889-le-louvre-et-les-tuileries-sign%C3%A9-circa-1860]