A closer look to Albert Levy`s photographs. The Halic collection :Ryerson & Burnham Archives Archival Image Collection.Art Institute of Chicago.

 

Albert Levy’s photographic artwork is a collected visión of modern cities, the ones that are constanly changing. 

His pictures show us the buildings that are being built at that momento or have just being finished recently; he rarely records old buildings. Another feature that we can highlight is that the cities that he takes pictures of are the first ones with skycrapers. Some banks begin to become really important companies thanks to big indutries – like oil related business – that are starting the industrial revolution. On other ocasions,  he records mansions – of the owners of these industries – that go to the cuntryside to live like the gentry. Albert Levy rarely takes pictures of farms. 

He records, documents and chooses the modern times, his times, the new humanity rooms.

But his work goes further: he wants to tell us who are the builders of this new time, the architects that create these new spaces where to live, and, at the same time, he islotates the houses from their surroundings; he doesn’t take pictures of the street, he focuses on the building, the architecture.

He frequently adds the name of the owner of the building. He always indicates the city and name of the building.

Uncommon for his time, the rare takes pictures of churches of civil buildings (like townhalls, museum or city offices…).

Albert Levy is the photographic os his time, the photographer that recorded what should reach our time.

 

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICHAGO PICTURES:
The art institute of Chicago has 284 photos of the Albert Levy's Architectural photographic series available online at:

• New Link

• Old link (browse for Levy) 

   

  Historic Collections: The Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection 

  Martin A. Ryerson, one of the Art Institute's founding trustees, was perhaps the single most important donor to the museum's collections as well as the donor of its library. Applying the museum's mission to represent art from all periods and styles to his own collecting practices, he acquired an extraordinary group of works ranging from the classical period to the 20th century, including paintings, sculptures, textiles, prints and drawings, Asian art, and European decorative arts. 

   

   BNF

  Daniel Burnham (1846-1912), militant pour la « City beautiful »

  Originaire de Chicago, Daniel Burnham fonde avec son confrère John Wellborn Root une agence d’architecture en 1873 à Chicago. Le cabinet Burnham and Root reçoit rapidement de nombreuses commandes, d’autant plus qu’à la suite du grand incendie de Chicago de 1871, presque toute la ville est à reconstruire. S’inspirant des aménagements haussmanniens à Paris, les architectes sont à l’origine du mouvement « City beautiful », dont l’exposition universelle de Chicago en 1893 – désormais baptisée « Ville blanche » – marque l’une des apogées.

  En

  Daniel Burnham (1846-1912), "City Beautiful" Activist Originally from Chicago, Daniel Burnham founded an architectural firm in 1873 with his colleague John Wellborn Root. The firm of Burnham and Root quickly received numerous commissions, especially since the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 required almost the entire city to be rebuilt. Inspired by Haussmannian designs in Paris, the architects pioneered the "City Beautiful" movement, one of whose peaks was the 1893 Chicago World's Fair—now known as the "White City." 

   

  Burnham, Beaux-Arts, Plan of Chicago, and Fairs

  The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago is recognized today as one of the defining moments of American cultural history. Whether it marked “the first expression of American thought as unity,” as Henry Adams believed, or, as Louis Sullivan later remonstrated, “The damage wrought by the World’s Fair will last for half a century from its date,” the Exposition had a profound impact on American architecture and urban planning. The defining style of the Exposition, a modern interpretation of classical Greek and Roman forms, was an outgrowth of the influential Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, one of the few sources of formal architectural education in the 19th century.  

  • Coincidence in The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago : Burham (architect and director) and Albert Levy (architecturial photographer).This leads us to suspect that the two knew each other, and this could explain why Levy's work is included in the Daniel Burnham archives.
  •  

  - "Contestating images (Photography and the World's Columbian Exposition)", by Julie K. Brown (The University of Arizona Press. Tucson & London). Pag. 153. ( notes to pages 93-96). 'The response by the Ways and Means Committee of the Chicago Board to Sir Henry Trueman Wood, British Commissioner to the Fair, was reproduced along with a letter by Albert Levy, a leading french photographer, protestating the imposition of such regulations.  "Photographing at the Chicago Exhibition" American Photographer 5 (March 1893): 135; see also A. N., "The  Possibilities of the World's Fair" Photo Beacon 5 (Feb 1893): 47-49'. 
  To the editor
  Sir; Your always valuable and wellcome Journal came to hand,as you are always trying to keep your readers well posted, you should add a P. S. to M. S.A. Crawford's  letter ( p.78) to the effect that Mr Official  Photographer C.D. Arnold by name ( very glad to take pictures ..etc. against pay..etc) does not even answer my in quiry to effect. Personally I had written three times to him without being able to obtain an answer . My first letter dating November 12 last. The above may prove interesting to other parties  who may be tempted to ask Mr. C.D. A. for any reference or negatives.
  By the way, Mr. Editor, What do you say to the american generosity towards allowing photographers on the Exhibition grounds?. You were at the time very hard against French meannes in 1889.Let me remind you of the rules that existed then . Twenty francs , or 16 s. , for one's day work , and no restriction to sizes or cameras renewed if weather unfavorable , or 300 Fr. , ( 12 l.) for the whole time the exhibition was open
  I am yours..etc
  Avenue Pinel, Asnières Seine
  Albert Levy 
   
  • Let us also remember that Albert Levy took many pictures the work of other architects who studied at the School of Fine Arts ( École de Beaux Arts) in Paris, such as Richard Morris Hunt. 

   

   

   

   The Ryerson & Burnham Libraries are the art and architecture research collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Including:

  The Historic Architecture and Landscape Image collection, or HALIC, contains mounted photographic prints, lantern slides (both black and white and hand-colored), and postcards dating from the 1860s to the 1970s. These materials supplement, extend, and support the architectural groupings described above, with particular focus on the work of the first Chicago School, the Prairie School, and Beaux-Arts urban planning activities inspired by Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett. This collection will be added to on a periodic basis 

A sample of the collection houses and architects

Residence	City	State	Architect	Albert Levy' data
Appleton, Thomas G., Residence	Newport	Rhode Island	Hunt, Richard Morris	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 209
Baldwin, C.H., Residence	Newport	Rhode Island	Potter and Robinson	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 154
Bishop, H.R., Residence	New York City	New York	Clinton, Charles W.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 72
Boylston Block	Boston	Massachusetts	Wight, P.B. (Peter Bonnett)	Albert Levy, photographer
Bradstreet Merchantile Agency	Boston	Massachusetts	Unknown	Albert Levy, photographer
Broadway and Exchange Place	New York City	New York	Unknown	Albert Levy, photographer
Bryant and Stratton School	Boston	Massachusetts	Unknown	Albert Levy, photographer
Casino, The	Newport	Rhode Island	McKim, Mead & White	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 201
Casino, The	Newport	Rhode Island	McKim, Mead & White	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 168
Baldwin, C.C., Residence,Chateau Nooga	Newport	Rhode Island	Post, George Browne	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 156
Church of the Covenant	Boston	Massachusetts	Upjohn, Richard	Albert Levy, photographer
Collegiate Dutch Reformed Church	New York City	New York	Smith, W. Wheeler	Albert Levy, photographer
Drayton, J. Coleman, Residence	New York City	New York	McKim, Mead & White	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 73
Girard Life Insurance Annuity and Trust Company	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	Unknown	Albert Levy, photographer
Guernsey Building	New York City	New York	Hunt, Richard Morris	Albert Levy, photographer
Higginson, Francis Lee, Residence	Boston	Massachusetts	Richardson, Henry Hobson	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 33, No. 744
Hutchinson, William J., Residence	New York City	New York	Post, George Browne	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 273
Kent, Sidney A., Residence	Chicago	Illinois	Burnham and Root	Albert Levy, photographer
Montgomery Building	Boston	Massachusetts	Cummings and Sears	Albert Levy, photographer
Office Building	Troy	New York	Post, George Browne	Albert Levy, photographer
Country House No.1	Beverly	Massachusetts	Unknown	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 200
Residence	Unidentified	Unidentified	J.W. Taylor	Albert Levy, photographer
Residence 38th St. near Madison Ave.	New York City	New York	Ware and Van Brunt	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 1, No. 147
Residence 55th St. near Fifth Ave.	New York City	New York	Haight, Charles Coolidge	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 1, No. 133
Residence House No. 4 12 Fairfield St.	Boston	Massachusetts	Cabot and Chandler	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 1, No. 162
Residence 68th St. and Park Ave.	New York City	New York	Harney, George E.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 1, No. 146
Residence House No. 3	Boston [Back Bay]	Massachusetts	Lewis, W. Whitney	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 1, No. 172
Residence Country House No. 1 76 High St.	Brookline	Massachusetts	Luce, Clarence S.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 175
Residence Country House No. 1	Boston [Jamaica Plain]	Massachusetts	Stephenson, H.M.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 192 or 194
Residence No. 9	Boston [Dorchester]	Massachusetts	Unknown	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 178
Residence Country House No. 1 76 High St.	Brookline	Massachusetts	Luce, Clarence S.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 176
Residence Country House No. 3 101 Forest Hill St.	Boston [Jamaica Plain]	Massachusetts	Emerson, William Ralph	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 184
Residence House No. 4  135 St.	Boston [Back Bay]	Massachusetts	Cabot and Chandler	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 61
Residence No. 7 1 Melville Ave.	Boston [Dorchester]	Massachusetts	Cabot and Chandler	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 204
Residence Country House No. 4	Boston [Jamaica Plain]	Massachusetts	Stephenson, H.M.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 189
Residence House No. 1	Boston [Back Bay]	Massachusetts	Peabody & Stearns	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, image 56
Residence Country House No. 2	Boston [Jamaica Plain]	Massachusetts	Stephenson, H.M.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 182
Residence Country House No. 2	Boston [Jamaica Plain]	Massachusetts	Stephenson, H.M.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 183
Residence 340 [next door to]	Boston	Massachusetts	Allen and Kenway	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 62
Residence House No. 2	Boston [Back Bay]	Massachusetts	Cummings and Sears	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 58
Residence No. 7 1 Melville Ave.	Boston [Dorchester]	Massachusetts	Cabot and Chandler	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 203
Residence 311 Saint Paul St.	Baltimore	Maryland	Cassel, Charles E.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 60
Country Residence	Beverly	Massachusetts	Cabot and Chandler	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 206
Residence	Newport	Rhode Island	Luce, Clarence S.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 202
Residence 912 St.	Washington	District of Columbia	Gray and Page	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 64
Residence 487 St. ?	Unidentified	Unidentified	Unknown	Albert Levy, photographer
Residence	Cleveland	Ohio	Peabody & Stearns	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 33, No. 768
Residence Madison Avenue	New York City	New York	Kendall, Edward Hale	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 68
Residence 724 Fifth Ave.	New York City	New York	McKim, Mead & White	Albert Levy, photographer
Residence House nº 2	Newport	Rhode Island	Unknown	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 191
Residence Fifth Avenue	New York City	New York	Kendall, Edward Hale	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 71
Residence	Chicago	Illinois	Unknown	Albert Levy, photographer
Residence 724 Fifth Ave.	New York City	New York	McKim, Mead & White	Albert Levy, photographer
Residence Country House nº 2  Pride's Crossing	Beverly	Massachusetts	Cabot and Chandler	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 180
Residence Country House No.1 Pride's Crossing	Beverly	Massachusetts	Unknown	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 199
Residence Country House No.1 Pride's Crossing	Beverly	Massachusetts	Unknown	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 198
Residence with store on ground floor	Boston [Dorchester]	Massachusetts	Lewis, W. Whitney	Albert Levy, photographer
Residences Walnut St.	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	Chandler, Theophilus Parsons, Jr.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 63
Residences Fifth Avenue	New York City	New York	Lamb & Rich	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 66
Residences 10 W. 54th St.	New York City	New York	Robertson, R.H.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 271
Residences 32 75th St.	New York City	New York	Kendall, Edward Hale	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 276
Residences 68th St.	New York City	New York	Unknown	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 79
Residences Madison Ave. [possibly at E. 67th St.]	New York City	New York	Lamb & Wheeler	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 70
Residences 69th St.	New York City	New York	Ware, James E.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 59
Residences Fifth Avenue	New York City	New York	Lamb & Rich	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 67
Residences 10 W. 54th St.	New York City	New York	Robertson, R.H.	Albert Levy, photographer
Residence Goelet, Robert and Ogden, Residences	New York City	New York	Kendall, Edward Hale	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 275
Residences Fifth Avenue	New York City	New York	Robertson, R.H.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 69
Residences 50 54th St.	New York City	New York	Robertson, R.H.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 272
Roosevelt, Theodore, Sr., Residence 6 W. 57th St.	New York City	New York	Sturgis, Russell	Albert Levy, photographer
Rowhouses State St. or Hudson Ave.	Albany	New York	Fuller and Wheeler	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 57
Sard, Grange, Jr., Residence 397 State St.	Albany	New York	Richardson, Henry Hobson	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 33, No. 759
Stables	Newport	Rhode Island	Hunt, Richard Morris	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 208
Stables Country House No.1 Pride's Crossing	Beverly	Massachusetts	Unknown	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 197
Store Building Babcock, John B., and Co. Building	Boston	Massachusetts	Thayer, S.J.F.	Albert Levy, photographer
Store 39-47	Boston	Massachusetts	Unknown	Albert Levy, photographer
Temple Court 119-129 Nassau St. and 5 Beekman St.	New York City	New York	Sillman and Farnsworth	Albert Levy, photographer
Tilden, Samuel J., Residence 15 Gramercy Park	New York City	New York	Vaux & Radford	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 274
Trinity Church, Rectory 233 Clarendon St.	Boston	Massachusetts	Richardson, Henry Hobson	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 1, No. 166
Trinity Church, Rectory 233 Clarendon St.	Boston	Massachusetts	Richardson, Henry Hobson	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 1, No. 157
Vanderbilt, Cornelius, II, Residence	New York City	New York	Post, George Browne	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 77
Vanderbilt, Cornelius, II, Residence f Fifth Ave. and 57th St	New York City	New York	Post, George Browne	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 7
Vanderbilt, William Henry, Residence Vanderbilt Twins	New York City	New York	Trench & Snook,Atwood, Charles B.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 65
Vanderbilt, William Henry, Residence Vanderbilt Twins	New York City	New York	Trench & Snook,Atwood, Charles B.	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 74
Vanderbilt, William K., Residence,660 Fifth Ave. at 52nd St.	New York City	New York		Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 75
Vanderbilt, William K., Residence,660 Fifth Ave. at 52nd St.	New York City	New York	Hunt, Richard Morris	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 16, No. 76
Wall Street  Orient Insurance Company Building	New York City	New York	Thorp, Alfred,Clinton and Pirsson	Albert Levy, photographer
Wall Street Queens Insurance Company Building	New York City	New York	Clinton and Pirsson, Post, George B.	Albert Levy, photographer
Winans, Ross R., Residence 1217 Saint Paul St.	Baltimore	Maryland	McKim, Mead & White	Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 33, No. 757

Here is the template for representing Albert's Levy pictures in the Halic collection 

 

Title/Project Name	Huntington, E.M., Residence
Alternate Title/Project Name	Country House No. 3
Street Address/Neighborhood	101 Forest Hill St.; Jamaica Plain (neighborhood)
City	Boston
State/Province	Massachusetts
Country	United States
Date Designed or Built	c.1880
Architect/Designer/Creator	Emerson, William Ralph
Date of View	1883-1895
View or Detail Type	Exterior
Image Notes	view from across the street with man at left of image leaning on fence and child at right; from Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series, Series 2, No. 184
Caption/Inscription Text	BLC: 184
Photographer	Levy, Albert [New York City]
Digital Collection Name	Archival Image Collection
Archival Collection Name	Historic Architecture and Landscape Image Collection, c.1865-1973 (bulk 1890-1945)
Archival Subcollection Name	Architecture Photograph Collection
Provenance	Gift of Pond and Pond
Original Format Type	Photograph
Color Type	B&W
Physical Notes	good
Location of Original	MPDrawer 2
Reference Sources	"Built in Boston" 68
Scanned By	Patrick Rogers
Website URL	https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections