Maison Bonfils was a French family-run company producing and selling photography and photographic products from Beirut (then in Ottoman Syria, now in Lebanon) from 1867 until 1918, from 1878 on renamed "F. Bonfils et Cie". The Bonfils ran the first and, in their time, most successful photographic studio in the city. Maison Bonfils produced studio portraits, staged biblical scenes, landscapes, and panoramic photographs.

Studio history

Félix and Lydie Bonfils

Félix Bonfils, a French photographer, married Marie-Lydie Cabanis in 1857. The couple, together with their son Adrien, moved to Beirut in 1867 where they opened a photographic studio called "Maison Bonfils", on what later became rue Georges-Picot. Maison Bonfils produced thousands of photographs of the Middle East. Bonfils worked with both his wife and his son. They photographed landscapes, portraits, posed scenes with subjects dressed up in Middle Eastern regalia, and also stories from the Bible. Félix Bonfils took photographs in

Ottoman Syria Ottoman Syria ( ar, سوريا العثمانية) refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of Syria, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and south ...

(in today's

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

), the

Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ota, خدیویت مصر ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which brou ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

and Constantinople (now

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

), producing the vast majority of his work, while his wife and son were also involved in photography produced by the studio. As few are signed, it is difficult to identify who is responsible for individual photographs. Lydie is thought to have taken some of the studio portraits, especially those of Middle Eastern women, who were more inclined to pose for a female photographer. In 1876, Félix returned to Alès to have compiled collections of their photographs published. In 1878, when the name of the studio was changed to "F. Bonfils et Cie", Adrien was back in Beirut after completing his studies in France and took more responsibility for photography, including landscape. Félix again travelled to Alès to establish a collotype printing factory in 1880, and died there in 1885.

Lydie & Adrien Bonfils

Adrien remained at the studio until the early 1900s, when he left to open a hotel in Brummana. With the assistance of fellow photographer Abraham Guiragossian, Lydie continued to manage the studio after the departure of Adrien. In 1907, she published a collection of photographs in the ''"Catalogue général des vues photographiques de l’Orient"''. Maison Bonfils was one of the most prolific studios in the Middle East in the late 19th century. After Félix's death, the studio continued to produce photographs by the Bonfils family, first under Adrien's management, then Lydie's, until her death in 1918. Lydie expanded the business, opening studios in Cairo and Alexandria, with connections to a New York agency. The Bonfils also employed an unknown number of assistants. When the Ottoman Empire entered the First World War on the side of the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...

, Lydie was evacuated with her family to Cairo, where she later died.

A. Guiragossian

After Lydie Bonfils' death, Guiragossian purchased the company and its archives, henceforth signing his photographs "Lydie Bonfils photographe, Beyrouth (Syrie) successeur A. Guiragossian." Guiragossian had arrived in Beirut in 1888 and studied there under the photographer

Garabed Krikorian Karapet or Garabet or Garabed is a common Armenian given name. They may refer to: *a pre-Christian Armenian thunder-god, Karapet Religion *Karabet ( hy, Կարապետ, link=no) or Garabed (Western Armenian), the Armenian name for '' prodromos'' ...

. He had become, according to some researchers, a co-owner of the studio and one of its main photographers since 1909. As single owner, starting from 1918, he continued to work both as a photographer, and as a publisher of albums and postcards using the classical old Bonfils images. He ran the business at least until the end of 1932, perhaps even until 1938, which places the Bonfils-Guiragossian photographic company among the longest surviving ones in the area of the former Ottoman Empire.Galstyan, Vigen (2018)
Abraham Guiragossian (1871–1956 , 1880–1930s)
at the ''Database of Armenian Photo-Media Practitioners'', Lusadaran Armenian Photography Foundation Yerevan with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia. Accessed 8 December 2023.

Felix Bonfils

Félix Adrien Bonfils (8 March 1831 – 1885) was a French photographer and writer who was active in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. He was one of the first commercial photographers to produce images of the Middle East on a large scale and amongst the first to employ a new method of colour photography, developed in 1880.

Life and career

Bonfils was born in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort and died in

Alès Alès (; oc, Alès) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie regions of France, region in southern France. It is one of the Subprefectures in France, su ...

. As a young man he worked as a bookbinder. In 1860, he joined General d'Hautpoul's expedition to the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...

, organised by France following the massacre of Christians in the

civil conflict A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

between Christians and

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

in Mount Lebanon and Damascus. On his return to France, it is thought that Bonfils was taught the

heliogravure Photogravure (in French ''héliogravure'') is a process for printing photographs, also sometimes used for reproductive intaglio printmaking. It is a photo-mechanical process whereby a copper plate is grained (adding a pattern to the plate) an ...

printing process by

Abel Niépce de Saint-Victor Claude Félix Abel Niépce de Saint-Victor (26 July 1805, Saint-Cyr, Saône-et-Loire – 7 April 1870, Paris) was a French photographic inventor. An army lieutenant and cousin of Nicéphore Niépce, he first experimented in 1847 with negatives ma ...

and opened a printing office in Alès in 1864. Soon after returning from Lebanon, he became a photographer. In 1857, he married Marie-Lydie Cabanis. When his son, Adrien, fell ill, Bonfils remembered the green hills around

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

and sent him there to recover, accompanied by his mother. The family moved to Beirut in 1867 where they opened a

photographic studio A photographic studio is often a business owned and represented by one or more photographers, possibly accompanied by assistants and pupils, who create and sell their own and sometimes others’ photographs. Since the early years of the 20th ce ...

called "Maison Bonfils". Maison Bonfils produced thousands of photographs of the Middle East. Bonfils worked with both his wife and his son. Their studio became "F. Bonfils et Cie" in 1878. They photographed landscapes, portraits, posed scenes with subjects dressed up in Middle Eastern regalia, and also stories from the Bible. Bonfils took photographs in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

(now

). While Bonfils produced the vast majority of his work, his wife, Lydie, and son Adrien were also involved in photography produced by the studio. As few are signed, it is difficult to identify who is responsible for individual photographs. Lydie is thought to have taken some of the studio portraits, especially those of Middle Eastern women, who were more inclined to pose for a female photographer. Adrien became more involved in the landscape photography at age 17, when Félix returned to Alès to have compiled collections of their photographs published and then to open a

collotype Collotype is a gelatin-based photographic printing process invented by Alphonse Poitevin in 1855 to print images in a wide variety of tones without the need for halftone screens. The majority of collotypes were produced between the 1870s and ...

printing factory. Félix died in Alès on 9 April 1855. Bonfils was amongst the first photographers to employ the new technique of

Photochrom Photochrom, Fotochrom, Photochrome or the Aäc process is a process for producing colorized images from a single black-and-white photographic negative via the direct photographic transfer of the negative onto lithographic printing plates. The proc ...

, a photographic colour printing technique, developed in 1880. Maison Bonfils was one of the most prolific studios in the Middle East in the late 19th-century. After Félix's death, the studio continued to produce photographs by the Bonfils family, first under Adrien's management, then Lydie's, until her death in 1918.

Work

Souvenirs d'Orient, 1878 by Félix Bonfils 0000

After settling in the Near East, Félix Bonfils took some

panoramic photograph Panoramic photography is a technique of photography, using specialized equipment or software, that captures images with horizontally elongated fields of view. It is sometimes known as ''wide format photography''. The term has also been applied to ...

s of Constantinople and Damascus. His work became well known among tourists that travelled to those countries because they bought photographs as souvenirs. In 1872 he published the album ''Architecture antique'' (by Ducher press) after presenting some of his pictures to the

Société française de photographie The Société française de photographie (SFP) is an association, founded on 15 November 1854, devoted to the history of photography. It has a large collection of photographs and old cameras. Among the founding members were Olympe Aguado, Hippoly ...

. He later re-opened a studio in Alès (France) from which he would publish ''Souvenirs d'Orient''; his best-known work.

Marie-Lydie Cabanis Bonfils

Marie-Lydie Bonfils, née Cabanis, (1837–1918) was the first professional woman photographer in the

. Originally from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, she was active in

and neighbouring areas of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. Lydie and her husband,

Félix Bonfils Félix Adrien Bonfils (8 March 1831 – 1885) was a French photographer and writer who was active in the Middle East. He was one of the first commercial photographers to produce images of the Middle East on a large scale and amongst the fir ...

, established "Maison Bonfils", the first and, at the time, most successful photographic studio in

Early and family life

Lydie married Félix Bonfils on 27 August 1857 in Crespian. Their children, Félicité-Sophie and Paul Félix Adrien (known as Adrien), were born in 1858 and 1861 respectively in

Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort (; oc, Sent Ipolit) is a commune in the Gard department, Occitania, southern France. The town has a silk museum and barracks. Population In literature A book titled 'Divided Loyalties' described life in the commune and ...

. Félix was originally a bookbinder but, when France intervened in the 1860 civil war between Christians and

in the Middle East, he was a part of the military expedition. Lydie was enamoured by the tales of Lebanon Félix told on his return. When Adrien became dangerously ill with

whooping cough Whooping cough, also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by two or ...

, it was thought that a change in climate would cause him to improve. So, it was decided that Lydie would take Adrien to Beirut to recover, due to Félix's fond memories of Lebanon and Lydie's desire to see the area. The trip was a great success and, in 1867, the whole family moved from France to Beirut.

Career

Once in Beirut, the Bonfils opened a photographic studio, "Maison Bonfils", located on the rue George Picot. Maison Bonfils produced studio portraits, staged biblical scenes, landscapes, and panoramic photographs. Lydie was heavily involved in administrative duties, which expanded when the business opened studios in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

and

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, with connections to a New York agency. She was also involved in preparing the

albumen Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms arou ...

for

prints In molecular biology, the PRINTS database is a collection of so-called "fingerprints": it provides both a detailed annotation resource for protein families, and a diagnostic tool for newly determined sequences. A fingerprint is a group of conserve ...

. This involved separating the egg white from the yolk, which could be a lengthy and unpleasant process. According to Adrien's son, Roger Bonfils, when she was boarding the evacuation ship to leave Beirut in 1916, Lydie exclaimed, "I don't want to smell another egg again!". Although the early photographs from Maison Bonfils have been generally attributed to Félix alone, the involvement of Lydie and Adrien in the photography side of the business is now recognised. They also had an unidentified number of assistants. Photographers in the area found it difficult to find people willing to be photographed, partly due to local religious and cultural concerns about photography, and this applied particularly to women. As a woman, Lydie is said to have been a more acceptable photographer for Middle Eastern women. As the region was thought to be too dangerous for Lydie to take photographs outside of the studio, her work was likely limited to studio portraits. However, there is may be evidence that she was responsible for some landscape photographs, as English clergyman Samuel Manning cites "Madame Bonfils of Beyrout" as a photographic source for the illustrations of Palestine in his 1874 book. Lydie ran the studio in Félix's absence when he returned to Alès in 1876 to publish compilations of his photographs. In 1878, the name of the studio was changed to "F. Bonfils et Cie". Adrien, now back in Beirut after completing his studies in France, took more responsibility for photography during this time. Félix again travelled to Alès to establish a

printing factory in 1880 and died there in 1885. Adrien remained at the studio until the early 1900s, when he left to open a hotel in

Brummana Brummana ( ar, برمانا) is a town in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. It is located east of Beirut, overlooking the capital and the Mediterranean. Brummana has long been a summer destination for visitors and loca ...

. With the assistance of fellow photographer Abraham Guiragossian, Lydie continued to manage the studio after the departure of Adrien. In 1907, Lydie published a collection of photographs from the studio in the ''Catalogue général des vues photographiques de l’Orient.'' Lydie's career was halted by the

entering the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. She was evacuated with her family to Cairo, where she died and was buried in 1918. After Lydie's death, Guiragossian purchased Maison Bonfils and the Bonfils' archives. Lydie's connection to the studio remained, however, as he signed his photographs, "Lydie Bonfils photographe, Beyrouth (Syrie) successeur A. Guiragossian."

Select list of publications

* Bonfils, F., ''Architecture antique : Égypte, Grèce, Asie Mineure,'' 1872 * Bonfils, F., ''Catalogue de vues photographiques de l'Orient,'' 1876 * Bonfils, F., ''Souvenirs d'Orient,'' 1878 * Bonfils, F. (with Adrien & Lydie Bonfils), ''Photographs of the Middle East, circa 1860s–1900s''

''L’Orient des Bonfils (1867–1918)''

On 11 May 2017, the heirs of the Bonfils-Saalmüller family donated a number of archives with historical photographs by Félix, Marie-Lydie and Adrien Bonfils to the library of

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious ...

at the in Paris. These photographs and accompanying art historical text were published in 2022 as ''L’Orient des Bonfils (1867–1918). Les archives Bonfils de la bibliothèque d’égyptologie du Collège de France''. In addition to the commercial print version of 865 pages with 461 black-and-white or colorized photographs, this book was also made available for free download as a contribution to

Digital Humanities Digital humanities (DH) is an area of scholarly activity at the intersection of computing or Information technology, digital technologies and the disciplines of the humanities. It includes the systematic use of digital resources in the humanitie ...

and for wide consultation on the Internet.

Digitisation and online access

In 2013, the Bonfils' archive has been digitised in a project between the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

Endangered Archives Programme The Endangered Archives Programme (EAP) is a funding programme and digital archive run by the British Library in London. It has the purpose of preserving cultural heritage where resources may be limited. Each year EAP awards grants to researchers ...

and the Jafet Memorial Library of the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

. The collection is available online at th
Endangered Archives Programme website
More digitised images are available online in connection with the ''L’Orient des Bonfils (1867–1918)'' book project.

Selected photographs from Maison Bonfils

File:Bonfils, Félix (1831-1885) - 613 - Joueurs de violon bedouins.jpg, Bedouin violin players, c. 1880 File:Bonfils, Félix (1831-1885) - 766 Gardien du tombeau des rois et sa famille.jpg, Guardian of the Tomb and his family, c.1880 File:Félix Bonfils (French) - Femmes de Siloé, Palestine - Google Art Project.jpg, Women of Siloé, Palestine, c. 1880 File:Felix Bonfils-Road to Bethlehem.jpg, Road to Bethlehem, c. 1880 File:Arabpipe.jpg, Arab man with a pipe, 1880s File:Well of St. Mary, Nazareth, by Felix Bonfils.jpg, Well of St. Mary, Nazareth, 1880s, F. Bonfils File:Bedouin Chief of Palmyra.jpg, Bedouin chief of Palmyra,

photochrom Photochrom, Fotochrom, Photochrome or the Aäc process is a process for producing colorized images from a single black-and-white photographic negative via the direct photographic transfer of the negative onto lithographic printing plates. The proc ...

, 1880s File:Beduin mothers carrying their children on their shoulders.jpg, Bedouin mothers carrying their children, photochrom, 1880s File:Bonfils, Félix (1831-1885) - 682. Chef de bedouins pasteurs.jpg, Chief of the Bedouin shepherds, 1880s File:Félix Bonfils Jeune femme de Naplouse.jpg, Woman from Nablus, between 1867 and 1885 File:Baalbec. Panorama - Bonfils. LCCN93500455.jpg,

Baalbek Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...

panorama, 1870 File:MMoCA195MA.jpg, ''

Temple of Jupiter, Baalbek The Temple of Jupiter is a colossal Roman temple, the largest of the Roman world, situated at the Baalbek complex in Heliopolis Syriaca (modern Lebanon). The temple served as an oracle and was dedicated to Jupiter Heliopolitanus. It is not known ...

, Syria'',

Mougins Museum of Classical Art The MACM, the Mougins Museum of Classical Art (Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins) is an art museum located in the village of Mougins, in the Alpes-Maritimes department, France. It is 30 minutes from Nice airport and 15 minutes from the centre o ...

File:Luxor bonfils.jpg, Temple at Luxor, 1867 File:Sphinx partially excavated2.jpg, Partially excavated Sphinx, between 1867 and 1899

Select list of institutions holding works by F. Bonfils

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

* Canadian Centre for Architecture * , Library of Egyptology *

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. The permanent collection of the ...

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is an art museum on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma. Overview The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art holds over 20,000 objects in its permanent collection. The museum c ...

, University of Oklahoma * Harvard University Fine Arts Library *

J. Paul Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. The Getty Center is located in the Brentwood, Los Angeles, Brentwood neighborhood ...

Minneapolis Institute of Art The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United State ...

s *

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of Asian art. In 2007, ''Time'' magaz ...

Sursock Museum The Sursock Museum ( ar, قصر سرسق), which is officially known as the Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum, is a modern art and contemporary art museum in Beirut, Lebanon. History In 1912, the wealthy and prominent Lebanese aristocrat Nicolas Ib ...

, with digital copies of this collection held in the Jafet Library of the

and the

. *

University of Michigan Museum of Art The University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, Michigan with is one of the largest university art museums in the United States. Built as a war memorial in 1909 for the university's fallen alumni from the Civil War, Alumni Memorial Hall ori ...

University of Tennessee, Knoxville The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, or VMFA, is an art museum in Richmond, Virginia, United States, which opened in 1936. The museum is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Private donations, endowments, and funds are used for the su ...

References

External links

*
Bonfils collection
British Library, at American University of Beirut site.

by Alain Arnaudiès, Études d’égyptologie (25), Jan. 2022, Soleb, Paris, 868 pages, downloadable PDF. * Union List of Artists Names, s.v
"Bonfils, Félix"
cited 6 February 2006, at Getty.edu *Images by Bonfils (thumbs) at artandarchitecture.org.uk, fro

Article by Will H. Rocket for

Aramco World ''Aramco World'' (formerly ''Saudi Aramco World'') is a bi-monthly magazine published by Aramco Services Company, a US-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The first issue of the magazine ...

Magazine, Nov–Dec 1983.
Collection of photos by Bonfils
DiscoverLebanon.com
Bonfils Felix – Photography
on the Digital collections of

Younes and Soraya Nazarian Library The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Library is a central academic library of the University of Haifa, and one of the largest in Israel. It is also one of the most progressive Israeli libraries in terms of service, collection, physical space, and libr ...

, University of Haifa
Presentation of Félix Bonfils and his work
on the

French National Library French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

(BnF) site (in English)