Portuguese Photography

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Comment by Andrew Shepherd on September 28, 2020 at 10:09

Info below on Joseph James Forrester

Comment by Andrew Shepherd on September 28, 2020 at 10:07

Forrester was born of Scottish parents in Kingston upon Hull on 27 May 1809. In 1831 he moved to Porto (Oporto) in Portugal to join the port-exporting company of his uncle. He was a talented and controversial individual who became best-known for the maps of the River Douro that he prepared and for which he became the first foreigner to be awarded a Portuguese baronetcy. He courted controversy in criticising some of the port-wine production practices and was persona non grata with many of the other wine exporters. A skilled watercolour painter he turned his attention to photography in the 1850s. He had a new house built in Vila Nova de Gaia, on the opposite bank of the Douro to Porto, between 1854 and 1860, which contained a photographic studio.

His first contact with photography probably took place when fellow-Scotsman David Octavius Hill took six photographs of him sometime between 1844 and 1846. He was friends with Hugh Owen, a pioneer of photography who visited Oporto in the 1850s, and then received lessons from Hugh Welch Diamond in London, another pioneer. Forrester quickly received recognition and was accepted into the social circles of the leading amateurs. He became a member of the Photographic Society in the UK, being elected on 6 July 1854, just 18 months after its establishment. It is likely that he provided technical training in calotype photography to Frederick William Flower, who also worked in the wine trade in Oporto. Many of Forrester’s photographs survive and a good collection of his portraits of Portuguese people is held by National Galleries of Scotland, while his photographs of views of the River Douro are held by several other collections. However, Figueiredo concludes that many of his photographs have been lost, having identified a document that refers to “220 views” by Forrester.

For more information about his life, see https://www.bhsportugal.org/library/articles/joseph-james-forrester

For information about his photographic activities, see https://www.academia.edu/12658502/FIGUEIREDO_Filipe_2008_Forrester_...

 

Link to National Galleries of Scotland: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/search?search=Joseph%20James%20Fo...

 

Comment by Mary Cuperr on April 9, 2020 at 16:12

Amazing tips, thanks! You inspire me to make new masterpieces!

Comment by Jose Paula on January 24, 2020 at 17:41

There are no early reference to Portuguese made cameras at the turn of the XIX century. A few retailers would sell German, British and French cameras. In last Photographica Fair in London I found a tailboard camera branded by J.J. Ribeiro & Cia (Lisbon) from around 1900, for plate format 13x18cm. I found a very small logo on the metal ridges which I identified as from the French maker Jules-Alexandre Pipon. The camera itself looks like the type of Soulé from Paris. The lens is a R.J. Beck Rectilinear 11'' (81/2 x 61/2) f8. 

Does anyone knows if there were any makers of cameras in Portugal in that period that could have made the wooden parts, or if Ribeiro just assembled or imported the full cameras.

Thanks in advance for any information.

Comment by Alex Novak on March 20, 2017 at 15:56

Amedee Lemaire de Ternande: Street Scene with Carriage, Lisbon, Portugal. Albumen print from wet plate negative, 1858, on original mount. 

Ternande was known for his photographs of the arrival in Lisbon of the 15-year old Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, the future queen (ever so briefly, only days until she died) of Portugal (May 18, 1858).  Stephanie was the Princess Diana of her day.  His work is extremely rare.

Comment by Alex Novak on March 20, 2017 at 15:54

Amedee Lemaire de Ternande: The Arrival in Lisbon of Stephanie de Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Salt print from wet plate negative, 7-1/16 x 8-11/16 in. (180 x 221 mm), 1858, unmounted. Scene in Parca do Commercial, Lisbon, Portugal, during the celebration and parade during the arrival in Lisbon of the 15-year old Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, the future queen (ever so briefly, only days until she died) of Portugal (May 18, 1858).  Stephanie was the Princess Diana of her day.  The photographer placed himself above the crowd on a balcony or rooftop.  His camera records the flapping of a flag in the left foreground that registers as a blur.  Also distinctive and lovely is his record of the dark lace details of the women's shawls in the center foreground.  The photographs of the event spawned illustrations in Le Monde (June 12 and 19, 1858); L'Illustration (June 5, 1858); and Archives Pittoresques de Lisbon (May and June, 1858).

Comment by Alex Novak on March 20, 2017 at 15:52

Frederick William  Flower: Regoa Village on the Upper Douro River (Portugal). Paper negative with later positive prints, 8-1/2 x 11 in. (216 x 279 mm), 1850c.

Image of Portuguese village, near Oporto, with Roman bridge over the river Douro.  Modern salt print from original negative by Allan Janus (1980c).  Earlier print identified on verso by Flower’s grandson (three prints in all).  Early photographs of Portugal before 1860 are quite rare, as I am sure most of you know, and Flower's are considered some of the first images made of landscapes in Portugal.

Comment by Nuno Borges de Araújo on March 8, 2015 at 20:57

Hello Noemie,
I have a hyper synthetic text on 19th c. Portuguese photography that refers to some of the photographers you mention (https://www.academia.edu/2251862/Encyclopedia_of_Nineteenth-Century...)
On Manuel Goulart you may find these:
New Bedford Whaling Museum - "Two Brothers Goulart; Photography in New Bedford and the Azores". New Bedford, Mass.: Old Dartmouth Historical Society-New Bedford Whaling Museum, 1996. Catalogue of the exhibition at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Oct. 11, 1996 to Mar. 31, 1997.

"The Cabinet Card Gallery: Young and attractive bridal couple In New Bedford", Massachusetts, https://cabinetcardgallery.wordpress.com/category/photographer-goul...

There is also a text that I can find no more (this is the problem with internet publications):

Standard, Charlene Rocha - "Focusing on the Azorean Connection", http://www.s-t.com/daily/11-96/11-10-96/e05li181.htm

You can regularly find large stereoviews of the series "Azores, Madeira and Portugal", taken by Goulart brothers for sale at online auction websites like eBay, etc.
If you understand Portuguese there are some publications with additional information on some of the other photographers. Unfortunately you still can't find these texts digitized.

Good research,
Nuno

Comment by Paulo Baptista on March 8, 2015 at 13:27

Dear Noemie,

I can send you some informations and bibliography on Biel and Vasques, I've already studied.

On Biel, in English, you can follow this link to a recent article: https://www.academia.edu/7267791/Revealing_Nature_Landscape_Photogr... Furthermore there is a small 2010 book in Portuguese that was based on my MD thesis that includes a DVD with images, bibliography and archive research. Tell me if you are interested in it.

On Vasques there is a small text (only in Portuguese) in an exhibition catalog:

https://www.academia.edu/7291886/O_Teatro_e_a_Fotografia_no_Tempo_d...

Hope I can publish soon a more detailed text on Vasques. Please send me you questions on it and I will answer them with pleasure.

Best regards,

Paulo

Comment by noemie espinosa on March 7, 2015 at 19:54

 

Dear friend,

I will be very grateful if any of you could send me bibliography on History of Photography in Portugal in general and about any of the photographers on the list below:

Emilio Biel and Co.

M.O. Perestrelo (also Perestrelo & F.)

Jose Maria dos Santos

J. Leite

ROcchini

Nunes Ribeiro

Photographia Vasques

Lourenzo and Franco

Goulart

TOste

Ernest Brown

Tinoco

Thank You very much for your help

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