Les Ruines de Paris et de ses Environs 1870-1871: Cent Photographies: Premier Volume. Par A. Liébert, text par Alfred d'Aunay. 1870 - 1871

This photograph album, *Les Ruines de Paris et de ses Environs 1870-1871*, was made by Alphonse-Justin Liébert, with text by Alfred d'Aunay. The album is bound in deep blue leather, blind-tooled and gilt-edged. The materials are crucial here. Photographic images, while seemingly ‘immaterial’ are in fact dependent on a whole system of industrial production, from the mining of silver to the manufacture of paper. And this album speaks to industrial production in another way too. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, which devastated Paris, was one of the first conflicts to make extensive use of photography. Consider the work involved in producing a deluxe object like this. The tanning of leather, the precise application of gold leaf, the printing and mounting of the photographs – all this speaks to a moment in history when handcraft and mechanical reproduction were closely intertwined. The album is a luxury object, a testament to the resilience of Parisian culture, but it also reminds us of the labor required to create even the most apparently ‘artistic’ images. It is an impressive integration of content and support.