L'Illustration

chusseau-flaviens.xml Charles Chusseau-Flaviens A photograph collection from the French photo-press agency, ca. 1890s-1910s Inventory prepared by Ryan Buckley George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film

Rochester, NY, USA

March 3, 2012 Finding aid encoded by Ryan Buckley March 3, 2012 Finding aid written inEnglish. Prepared using DACS Collection Summary George Eastman House

Rochester, NY, USA

Charles Chusseau-Flaviens A collection of negatives, prints and autochromes from the French photo-press agency. circa 1890s-1910s Over 10,000 negatives (glass-plate and nitrate), 133 prints, and color transparencies and autochromes Contains photographic negatives and prints from the French syndicated photo-press agency Charles Chusseau-Flaviens. Includes images that appeared in newspapers, postcards, magazines, and stereocards. The images provide views of people, places, and events from major European cities from ca. 1890s-1910s. Chusseau-Flaviens Collection is French Negatives: nitrate and gelatin silver dry-plate; Prints: gelatin POP, gelatin DOP, cabinet cards; Autochromes; Color transparencies.

Only the negatives are available online, and our holdings are only one of three repositories preserving this divided collection.

History of Chusseau-Flaviens

Chusseau-Flaviens was a French photographer active ca. 1890s-1910s. He established one of the first photo press agencies (located at

46 Rue Bayen, Paris

) syndicating and distributing his and others' photographs to the emerging illustrated press. Known published images appear in L'Illustration, The Illustrated London News, Le Monde, Ilustracāo Portugueza, and The Graphic, as well as postcards and stereocards. As a syndicate, the agency acquired photographs from working (mostly commercial) photographers all around the world. At least 160 photographers spanning five continents contributed to this collection. Based on the material it appears the agency ceased operations during the first world war.

Scope and Contents

Overview of Collection

These negatives, prints, transparencies and autochromes belonged to one of the world's first photo agencies (ca. 1890s-1910s). These images were produced specifically to appear in the illustrated press, in journals such as L'Illustration, The Illustrated London News, Le Monde, Ilustracāo Portugueza, and The Graphic, as well as postcards and stereographic views. As a syndicate, this collection contains photographs that were acquired from working (mostly commercial) photographers around the world. 160 photographers spanning five continents contributed to this collection, depicting the day's news, customs, fashions and personalities. Each series is concentrated on the same categories of mostly European subject matter: military, royalty, and architecture/monuments of nations foreign to France. Consulates are also photographed. Almost all series have a large number of portrait "types". British colonies appear often and a number of series include images of social services like ambulances, police and ports/harbors. Many series (but not all) contain re-photographed images.

Historical Context

From a time when local public demand (rather than advertising) served as the primary income for publishers, these negatives represent an inventory of the type of news desired by the public. The collection serves as a material artifact of a significant visual supply to that demand. Photography was enthusiastically employed by the illustrated press to appeal to and reach the unaccustomed reader. This was a time when the objectivity of the printed picture was more readily accepted at face value and as such, photographs became a means of receiving information for many people. Publishers used this power to influence the ideas and beliefs of their readers. The Graphic, for example, "believed that illustrations had the power to influence public opinion on political issues" (John Simkin, The Graphic, Spartacus Educational, http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jgraphic.htm) and its creator "committed to social reform and… hoped that these visual images would have a political impact on the reading public" (Ibid).

Strengths and Gaps

38 countries are represented: Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Ceylon, China, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Majorca, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, United States and Yugoslavia. Of these countries, Spain and Romania make up the largest representation with 17% and 11%. Portugal (9%), Bulgaria (8%), England (6%) and Turkey (5%) follow. Interestingly, there is a lack of photographs representing France. Most of the material is in the form of negatives, all of which can be accessed digitally. The prints, autochromes and color transparencies in our collection are not accessible in digital form but may be accessed using the inventory records.

The George Eastman House cares for only a part of the full collection. Prints and autochromes from the original collection remain in France at the Musée Nicéphor Niépce and Musée d'Orsay. Additionally, a private collection of Chusseau-Flaviens prints reside at the Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand.

Arrangement of the Collection

Based on the codes incribed on each negative, the agency originally ordered this collection by country. Within our current holdings there are 38 nations depicted.

Algeria Austria Belgium Bulgaria Ceylon China Denmark Djibouti Egypt England Ethiopia Finland France Germany Gibralter Greece Hungary Italy Japan Majorca Morocco Netherlands Norway Palestine Philippines Portugal Romania Russia St. Petersburg Series Serbia Spain Sudan Sweden Switzerland Tunisia Turkey United States Yugoslavia

Although this is the digital organization, the material itself is arbitrarily arranged, by process type and size, to fit into available space.

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use, but researchers are requested to use the digital surrogates provided by this finding aid to determine which, if any, of the fragile glass-negatives need to be consulted.

Restrictions on Use

No known copyright restrictions. (?)

Related Materials

George Eastman House also have material by Underwood and Underwood, a photo-press agency contributing to the illustrated press during the same time as Chusseau-Flaviens.

Separated Materials

Before being sent to George Eastman House from Kodak Pathé, some of the autochromes and all of the prints were removed from the collection. 22 autochromes can be found in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay, in addition to our prints, 4,500 more are held by the Musée Nicéphor Niépce. 154 prints from private collector Marguerite Durand belong to the library in Paris that bears her name

Index Terms

Index terms have been derived from annotations and inscriptions on original negatives, inventories, and descriptions.

Names: Chusseau-Flaviens, Charles Ch. Chusseau Woltz M. Jovanovitch Duschek Brond Baute Alexander de Bruxelles Gunther H.V. Perckhammer Guy de Coral J. Martin Ceylon Eliner Van Leer Farnari Strazza Larson Zraginsky (or Braginsby) Jaeger of Stockholm Flodin Grapes Le Fairnres Walden Fawcott Chambou Voigt Boissoimas & Eggler Bulla Ozyner deltahn Duwep Reissert & Fliege Centrale-Zurich Sebah & Joailler Elfelt Carl Sonne Peterson Laurberg Wilse E.N.I.G. [?] ChenHot Dittrich Cousolas Borringer Baucas (or Bancos) Hise Organizations: Chusseau-Flaviens Ch. Chusseau-Flaviens Newspapers Skeen & Co. Photo Office Baurisme Hollandaise Overland Monthly Communication by the National Office of Swiss Tourism Central News NY Newspaper Illustration Subjects:

note: subject terms derived from a sampling of 60 images uploaded to Flickr.

Parque Retiro Abuelo de Juan Carlos I Aeródromo de Cuatro Vientos Affe Alexander Column Alfonso XIII Archduke architecture army artillary baile banderillas Basque Country beating the bounds beggar Belvedere bicorn bicorne biplane blanco y negro borbón Bucharest bullfight caballo Campo Pequeno cantabrico capote caseta de baños celebrity ceremony churches Church of the Assumption of the Holy Mother clothing comunidad autonoma de Madrid Concha constable corrida Cossack Cossacks Court couture crowd Cuatro Vientos demonstration Dicerorhinus dirigible Donostia Donostia-San Sebastián dresses Ducky occupied nations religious and social customs entrando a matar entrar a matar estocada Euskal Herria fez flamenco flat caps folklore françois ferdinand Franz Ferdinand frau Fütterung Gevær M/89 Gipuzkoa Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia Guipúzcoa Hermitage hondartzak horses Hyde Park Igeldo Igueldo Ilse Imperial family infantry Isaacs Jews juego Kantauri itsasoa Karelia khédive Kinder kinderwagen king King Alfonso XIII king of Spain Krag Rifle Krag-Jorgensen Rifle Kropinsky La concha Las Ventas lido Lieutenant Shmidt Embankment lusitano M/89 Mädchen maestro mandarin collar mantilla Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh Marie of Edinburgh matador Maxim Machine Gun middlesex street military Missy monastery mujer mules Napoleon Nashorn niñas niño niños orthodox Jews österreich oxen Pacha Padre de Juan de Borbón País Vasco palace Palace Square peasants peineta people Petticoat Lane placard Playa de La Concha plaza de toros plough police policeman Political Protests Pond yachting Pond yachts portugal prince princess Princess Marie princess marielene poniatowska procession proclamation pyramids Qing Dynasty rail railway Regent Street Regina Maria of Romania rei rey Rey de España Rifle M/89 rifles riot roadblock royal family Royalty ruedo Rufus rug San Sebastián sash Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Schloss Belvedere seaside serpentine servant ship soldiers spanish king street scene suerte suffragette sword tablao tailor Taureau tauromaquia tea tendido tide topiary toreador torero toro tourada Tracht Trafalgar Square transporte aéreo Trinity Square uniform United Kingdom vaca Valenki varsaw vasco veil Victoria Melita volteretas war wedding wien Wight Winter Palace Winter Palace Yu Keng family zeppelin Places: St. Petersburg Series Algeria Austria Belgium Bulgaria Canada Ceylon China Denmark Djibouti Egypt England Ethiopia Finland France Germany Gibralter Greece Hungary Italy Japan Majorca Morocco Netherlands Norway Palestine Philippines Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Spain Sudan Sweden Switzerland Tunisia Turkey United States Yugoslavia Holland Isle of Wight Israel Jerusalem Madrid Netherlands Neva river Romania Vienna Document Types: Ledgers Dry-plate negatives Nitrate negatives Gelatin POP Gelatin DOP cabinet cards Autochromes Color transparencies

Location of Originals

Glass-plate negatives, color transparencies, autochromes, and prints are located in the photography vault of the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY, USA. Most nitrate negatives are held off-site in cold storage and must be requested in advance. Ledgers and records of transfer are held in Collections Management office of the Museum and are available by appointment.

Other Formats

The images from the negatives in this collection are accessible through digital reproductions. They have been converted to positives and reduced to grayscale. Work prints have also been made from an assortment of negatives.

Provenance / Custodial History

Eastman House acquired Chusseau-Flaviens' negatives as a gift from Kodak PathŠ (France), who received the complete archive from French photojournalist ThŠrèse Bonney (b. Syracuse, NY, 1894 – Paris, France, 1978). Bonney obtained the collection sometime after moving to Paris in 1919, where she later went on to study photographic history and create the Bonney service, the first American illustrated press service in Europe (Friedsam Memorial Library, "The Life of Therese Bonney," http://web.sbu.edu/friedsam/archives/Biographies/theresebonney/bonneybio.htm). In the mid-70s, Kodak PathŠ de-accessioned the collection and divided the material to three institutions: the MusŠe d'Orsay, the MusŠe NicŠphor NiŠpce and George Eastman House. In 1985, a later donation from Mlle J. Boichard of the Documentation Centre at Kodak PathŠ brought in over one hundred vintage agency prints to Eastman House. Sometime later, the autochromes and transparencies were separated from the original arrangement, further dividing the collection from its original order-by-subject into process type and size.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

The collection is stored in heavy metal drawers, stacked tightly and restrictively enclosed in kraft-paper sleeves. If the originals need to be consulted, cautious and steady handling is required. Nitrate negatives are chemically decomposing. For your safety, handle with gloves and be cautious of noxious odor.

Preferred Citation

Image used courtesy George Eastman House collection.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Kodak PathŠ

Accruals

Once in a separate storage area, these negatives were separate from the general photography collection and work prints would be made from original negatives. The two collections have since been consolidated, and now negatives are stored in the photography vault.

Other Finding Aids

Over 10,000 used to be available through the Eastman House web galleries based on the categories listed below, but sometime between 2013 and 2019 those static HTML pages had been removed and now the images exist with different geographic metadata that does not correspond to what follows. For the sake of preservation, these categories will be maintained. Researchers may now browse the collection through a keyword filter system, available at https://collections.eastman.org/people/12369/charles-chusseauflaviens/objects#filters. Many images were also available on the Flickr commons, which has at some point been reduced to 61. The remaining material from the Eastman House collection that has not yet been digitized is noted in this PDF inventory of GEH's Chusseau-Flaviens holdings.

Bibliography

Known illustrated journals in which Chusseau-Flaviens images appear include (but may not be limited to) L'Illustration, The Illustrated London News, Le Monde, Ilustracāo Portugueza, and The Graphic. Known publications that contain Chusseau-Flaviens material or information are:

Gervais, Thierry (November 6, 2007). L'Illustration Photographique. École des hautes études en sciences sociales (doctoral thesis) pp. 284-316 Dimock, George (September 2001). The Sunset of the Old World: A Portfolio from the Work of C. Chusseau Flaviens. Image 21 (1): 1. Collection photographique de Charles Chusseau-Flaviens. Patrimoine Numerique. www.numerique.culture.fr. The Illustrated London News 1903. The London Llustrated News. iln.org.uk. Retrieved 6-13-2012. 1909 King Peter War Map Photograph Chusseau Flaviens. Amazon.com. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2012-03-24 Series Description

*As mentioned above, the following links used to direct to the Eastman House's original categorical web galleries based on the categories listed below, but sometime between 2013 and 2019 those static HTML pages had been removed and now the images exist with different geographic metadata that does not correspond to what follows. For the sake of preservation, these categories will be maintained. Researchers may now browse the collection through a keyword filter system, available at https://collections.eastman.org/people/12369/charles-chusseauflaviens/objects#filters. Almost every series focuses on the military, royalty and architecture/monuments of nations foreign to France. Consulates are also photographed. Almost all series have a large number of portrait "types". Royalty of many countries are depicted, as are armies. British colonies appear often and a number of series include images of social services like ambulances, police and ports/harbors. Many series (but not all) contain re-photographed images. This section provides series level descriptions of the collection and links to digitized versions of the negatives only. Prints, autochromes and color transparencies are not included but may be accessed using the inventory records.

Algeria

The Algeria series has 19 negatives, mostly portraits of "types" and walking cattle.