(En) Albert Levy, pioneer of architectural photography. L'Architecture Americaine

Here you have the presentation of my blog. I will guide you through several original vintages images of my personal collection.

The aim of the blog is to explain peculiarities of an image, history of the image, biography of the author or whatever related to a new picture I will publish.

I will be posting blogs every time with a new image, mainly older than 1950's, so we can consider my blog a Walk through Vintage Photography.

The first photographer for this blog is Albert Levy, pioneer of architectural photography of the 1870's/80's in Europe and the United States.

The image in this blog belongs to the photography album "L'Architecture Americaine" and represents a building in New York by E.H. Kendall in 1882. It is the Odgen Goelet residence. We know all this information because Albert Levy used to have an index in his photo albums were he explained the details of every single building (architect, location and, sometimes, owner).

For more information of this photographer you can go to the English Wikipedia, but I will be keep on posting blogs (with images) about him.

Hope start learning a little bit about vintage photography history with this blog.

Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture. Due to these series, Albert Levy is referenced as counterpart for Alinari in the United States (13).

  • Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Second Series, Country Dwellings. (16)
  • Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Ninth Series, Street Fronts. (16)
  • Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: First Series, Private City Dwellings. (16)
  • Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Fifth Series, Messrs. Vanderbilt's Mansions. (16)
  • Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Tenth Series, Sea Shore Cottages and Country Houses. (16)
  • Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Twelfth Series, Modern Street Architecture of Berlin, Street Fronts and Apartment Houses. (16)
  • Albert Levy's Photographic Series, the Fourteenth Series: Romanesque and Gothic Churches in the South of France (24)
  • Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Sixteenth Series, American Private City Dwellings. (16)
  • Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series : Lévy, Albert. 1895 (16)
  • Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series:  Twenty-fourth series.(Berne, Lucerne, Zurich and other Swiss cities and towns) (21)
  • Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series : Thirty-Fifth Series, Sea Shore Cottages And Country Houses, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, Maine : Lévy, Albert. 1895 (16)
  • Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series: Thirty-First Series, Street Fronts, Stores, Office , Etc : Lévy, Albert. c1884 (15)
  • Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series : Thirty-Sixth Series, Sea-Shore Cottages, Etc., Newport, R.I., And Long Branch, N.J : Lévy, Albert. 1895 (15)
  • Albert Levy's Photographic Series Of Modern American Architecture. : Lévy, Albert. 1883
  • Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series: 3rd series, French Gothic and Renaissance, Civil and Domestic Architecture, New York: Albert Levy, 1884. (14)
  • Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series: 33rd series, American City and Country Residences, etc, New York: Albert Levy, 1884. (14)
  • Architectural Photographic Series, city houses/Levy: 1 album, 38 leaves of plates: photographs 36x46 cm. New York, Albert Levy (between 1880-1895?). (20).
    • Signature by Albert Levy in "Albert Levy's Architectural photographic series"

      In some cases, in the Photographic series the  Photographs are titled, numbered and mounted on blue card stock. The card stock is embossed
      "Architectural & Decorative Books, Albert Levy, NY, 77, University".

      Studies/shops:
      - He had the following studies in New York

          - A study in 77 University Place, NY in 1870-1878 (23)

          - A study in 4 Bond Street, NY in 1880 (2)
          - A study in 34 1/2 Pine Street, NY in 1887 (3).
      - At the same time he also had a study in France, 19 rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin, Paris (3).
      - The Bibliothèque Nacionale de France also has another reference in 1901: "22 janvier 1901, A. Lévy, 4 av. Pinel, Asnières" (3)
      He is also referenced as bookseller (2).

      Manufacturer:
      Albert Levy is referenced as the photographer who began the manufacture of the gelatin dry plates in 1878. All references can be found in the book Photography and the American Scene. A social history (1839-1889) by Robert Taft. See (5), (6), (7) and (8) for full text.
      Albert Levy is also identified as "early competitor of Eastman, NYC" (9). This reference relates also to the book by Robert Taft (10).

      Editor:
      The Bibliothèque Nacionale the France (2) and the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library (20) own a catalogue of 2500 titles by Albert Levy as editor in New York and Paris for Architectural photography. 

      • Photographs by Levy in the Halic Collection: Art Institute Chicago 
      • Culture France
        L’assimilation du régionalisme dans l’architecture balnéaire

        L’apparition du style néo-normand est sans doute la plus précoce mais aussi la plus
          ambiguë du régionalisme. D’après Claude Mignot, le créateur du type de la villa néo-normande
        semble être l’architecte caennais Jacques Baumier père. Dès 1860, celui-ci bâtit les dépendances de la villa Suzanne de Louis-Léon Paris à Houlgate et, deux ans plus tard, sur la plage de Trouville la Maison normande pour Adolphe Cordier. Elles seront suivies de trois autres réalisations sur les  hauteurs de la même station. Il faut attendre une vingtaine d’années pour voir se répandre la seconde génération de villas sur toute la côte normande, signées par de nombreux architectes comme
        Jacques Baumier fils, Edouard Papinot, Adrien Jory père et fils, E. Mauclerc, G. Pichereau

        Estudio sobre la arquitectura Balnearia. Tipos de Viviendas

        Jacques Baumier Wikipedia