Wilhelm Benque (1843-1903) was a French portrait photographer of German origin, belonging to an important dynasty of photographers, the Benques.

Biography

Wilhelm Benque, known as "the Younger", descended from a family from Ludwigslust (

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

). His uncle, the landscape painter Wilhelm Friedrich Alexander Benque (1814-1895), had a younger brother, Christian Benque (1811-1883) whose son, Franz Benque (1841-1921) became a photographer, first in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

(1869-1870), then in Brazil (from 1878) before finally settling in Trieste. From the 1880s onwards, the Benques represented a dynasty of photographers, with a presence on three continents. When Wilhelm Benque arrived in Paris, he was associated with one of the members of the Benque family, Franz Wilhelm Benque (1857-1912), son of the landscape photographer Wilhelm Benque. In the 1880s and 1890s, the Benques established their studio in Paris at 33, rue Boissy-d'Anglas under the name Benque, Benque et Cie. A successful venture, the they occupied a private mansion at this address, targeted a luxury clientele, and even opened an exhibition store at 5 rue Royale. In the meantime, the company joined forces with two other photographers, named Klary (?-?) and Kneubuhler (1816-1880), and the name became Benque & Klary for a time until it was taken over by Matuszewski after 1902. The Benques also opened a second studio in Nice around 1883-1884. Benque was particularly active with personalities linked to the world of opera and the Parisian stage. They took well-known photographs of

Louise Abbéma Louise Abbéma (30 October 185329 July 1927) was a French painter, sculptor, and designer of the Belle Époque. Biography Abbéma was born in Étampes, Essonne. She was born into a wealthy Parisian family, who were well connected in the loca ...

Valentin Duc Joseph Valentin Duc (24 January 1858 – 23 February 1915) was a French operatic tenor. Valentin DucStéphane Wolff, ''L'opéra au Palais Garnier (1875-1962),'' Paris, 1962. is known for the creation of Karloo in ''Patrie !'' by Paladilhe (20 ...

Eleonora Duse Eleonora Giulia Amalia Duse ( , ; 3 October 185821 April 1924), often known simply as Duse, was an Italian actress, rated by many as the greatest of her time. She performed in many countries, notably in the plays of Gabriele d'Annunzio and Hen ...

and Cléopâtre-Diane de Mérode when she was promoted to "grand sujet" among the ballerinas in 1896. The Benque studios enjoyed an international reputation by the end of the 19th century.''Photographic Times and American Photographer'', vol. 12, p. 244, 410, Scovill Manufacturing Company, 1882

References

1843 births 1903 deaths 19th-century French photographers {{France-photographer-stub