Description:

Ferdinand de Lesseps
n.p., n.d.
Three Ferdinand de Lesseps Cartes-de-Visite, Including Nadar and Disderi Images!
CDV
A fine group of three cartes-de-visite of Suez Canal developer Ferdinand de Lesseps, one of which is by the legendary Disderi photography studio, while another, gilt-edged, was produced by Disderi's most famous competitor, Nadar. The third is by The London Stereoscopic Company. Overall very good.

De Lessep's personal motto "Open the lands to nations" refers to his involvement in both the Suez and Panama Canal projects. Ferdinand Marie, Vicomte de Lesseps (1805-1894) had already garnered two decades of diplomatic experience in Algeria, Egypt, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands by the time he was invited by Egyptian leader Said Pasha to build the Suez Canal in 1854. This route would eventually connect the Mediterranean and Red Seas, creating enormous trading possibilities. De Lesseps employed all his diplomatic finesse to encourage subscriptions for the Suez project, which was finally completed in 1869. Some ten years later, de Lesseps attempted to fundraise for the construction of the Panama Canal, but landslides, epidemics, and bribery scandals derailed the project.

André Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri (1819-1889) started his career as a daguerreotypist, and thence gained fame for patenting the carte-de-visite ("visiting card") format of photography, and made this system of mass-production portraiture world famous. His studio in Paris became synonymous with luxury and elegance, and he photographed some of the most famous and influential personages of the time. Disderi also invented the twin-lens reflex camera.

Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, aka "Nadar" (1820-1910) was a French photographer and the first to take aerial photographs from a balloon, in 1858. Unlike his nemesis Disderi, Nadar declined to use traditional sumptuous decors, preferring natural daylight and excessive accessories. Of Disderi's invention of the CDV, Disderi wrote in his autobiography: "…It spelled disaster. Either you had to succumb – that is to say, follow the trend – or resign..."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 2.5" x 3.75"
  • Medium: CDV

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August 7, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000