Gagnebin—engraved Zinc Plate—bordeaux Coffee—place Comédie—19th Century

GAGNEBIN, engraver in Bordeaux
The Café de Bordeaux, Place de la Comédie
Bordeaux, last third of the 19th century, probably around 1870–1880

Important original printing plate engraved in relief on zinc, depicting a lively scene inside the Café de Bordeaux, Place de la Comédie in Bordeaux, across from the Grand Théâtre.

Dimensions: 27 × 37 cm.

The plate bears the following inscription, engraved in the metal:

“GAGNEBIN, GR. BORDEAUX”

The composition shows numerous figures seated at tables in the café, with a man wearing a top hat at the center. Several details and inscriptions appear in the scene.

The image is naturally engraved in reverse, in accordance with its function as a typographic matrix intended for printing on paper.

The Café de Bordeaux, located on Place de la Comédie, was one of the most important establishments in 19th-century Bordeaux. It is documented as early as the 1870s and was located in the prestigious area of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux.

Old photographs and postcards still show its imposing sign reading “CAFÉ DE BORDEAUX” and its terrace overlooking the square.

Gagnebin was a Bordeaux-based engraver and artist of particular interest in the history of 19th-century reproduction techniques. He worked notably in chemical etching and relief engraving on zinc and produced plates intended for illustration and the press. His name is also associated with illustrations in the satirical press of Bordeaux from the second half of the 19th century.

This plate is therefore of threefold interest:

the history of Bordeaux—the Café de Bordeaux and Place de la Comédie—and the history of engraving and printing in the 19th century.

Condition: an antique plate that was actually used or prepared for printing. Signs of wear, ink marks, oxidation, and scuffing from normal use. Significant openwork areas corresponding to the technical work of the plate. Overall, however, well-preserved and perfectly legible.

Original piece, not a reproduction.