Albert Levy (1847 – 1931) was a French photographer active in Europe and the United States. Most active in the 1880s and 1890s, he was a pioneer of

architectural photography Architectural photography is the sub genre of the photography discipline where the primary emphasis is made to capturing photographs of buildings and similar architectural structures that are both aesthetically pleasing and accurate in terms of re ...

. He developed a catalogue with 2500 titles that is available through the Gallica web project of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) as well as in the

Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library The Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library is a library located in Avery Hall on the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in the New York City. It is the largest architecture library in the world. Serving Columbia's Graduate Schoo ...

. His catalogue covers France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States. He was one of the first photographers to have studios on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean: in Paris and New York. His main contribution to history documentation was his "Albert Levy's architectural photographic Series" in the 1870s that consists of albums with 30–40

albumen print The albumen print, also called albumen silver print, was published in January 1847 by Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard, and was the first commercially exploitable method of producing a photographic print on a paper base from a negative. It us ...

s of the

Architecture of the United States The architecture of the United States demonstrates a broad variety of architectural styles and built forms over the country's history of over two centuries of independence and former Spanish and British rule. Architecture in the United States h ...

, with a size of 20x24 cm approximately. There are at least 36 series.

Biography

Levy was born in Paris in 1847 and died in Asnières-sur-Seine. However, the 1880 United States Census notes that he was 33 years old, which would put his birth date at 1847 if he was asked his "age on your birthday anniversary in 1880". Alternatively, it could be either 1846 or 1847 if asked for his age at the time of being asked (which could be before or after his birthday anniversary in 1880). 1880 United States Census The New York Passengers list 1820–1957 indicates that he came to the United States in 1876 and that his occupation was photographer.New York Passengers list 1820–1957 The 1880 Census gives his profession as bookseller.

Occupation

There are indications that Albert Levy was a photographer who also worked variously as bookseller, editor,Bibliothèque nationale de France(BnF)"> Bibliothèque nationale de France(BnF) and manufacturer."Photography and the American Scene. A social history" (1839–1889) by Robert Taft His main occupation was photographer. Active between 1870s-1890s, he worked in France in 1876 and in the United States in the 1880s and 1890s. He was one of the few photographers to have two studios at the same time in America and Europe. Actually, he had several studios: * 77 University Place, New York * 4 Bond Street, New York in 1880 * Pine Street, New York in 1887Bibliothèque nationale de France(BnF)"/> * 19 rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin, ParisBibliothèque nationale de France(BnF)"/> * 22 janvier 1901, A. Lévy, 4 av. Pinel, AsnièresBibliothèque nationale de France(BnF)"/> Apart from photographer and bookseller, he was also pioneer in the manufacture of the gelatin dry plates in 1878. Because of the work he developed, he was an early competitor of

George Eastman George Eastman (July 12, 1854March 14, 1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Kodak, Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. He was a major philanthropist, establishing the ...

. He published several ads on "The Philadelphia Photographer" before Eastman's patent (1879): * Levy's Emulsion Photographique Francaise Advertisement. '' ..Unequalled for rapidity (fully equal to the both plate) intensity to any degree on simple development without silver or other intensifier and absolutely permanent and without change. Albert Levy sole proprietor. Preservative for dry plates (more rapid than wet) ..' * Levy's Dry Plates * Levy's Cyanotipes. * Levy's Emulsion Dry Plate Camera. Finally, he was an editor whose catalogue is in the Bibliothèque nationale de France(BnF) and in the

Photography

The main occupation of Albert Levy was Architectural photography. He developed most of his work in the 1870s. He started working in Europe and then he moved to the United States when he was 33 years old, but he still worked in Europe. His catalogue of 1887 (with 2500 titles) demonstrates that he did architectural photography in France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States. The took albumen photographies that collected with the following standards: * Albumen 20x24 cm * Cardboard 29x41 cm * Albums with 30-40 photos each He focused his work on the new buildings of important architects like: *

Herter Brothers Herter is a German occupational surname for a herdsman. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert Herter (1871–1950), American painter; son of Christian, the furniture maker * Christian Herter (1895–1966), American politician; son of ...

- Twin Houses, New York *

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa� ...

William Kissam Vanderbilt William Kissam "Willie" Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist and horsebreeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family's railroad investments. Early life William Kiss ...

Residence, New York * George Browne Post -

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

Residence, New York *

Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

- Oakes Ames Memorial Library, North Easton, Massachusetts *

Calvert Vaux Calvert Vaux (; December 20, 1824 – November 19, 1895) was an English-American architect and landscape designer, best known as the co-designer, along with his protégé and junior partner Frederick Law Olmsted, of what would become New York Ci ...

Samuel J. Tilden Samuel Jones Tilden (February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 25th Governor of New York and was the Democratic candidate for president in the disputed 1876 United States presidential election. Tilden was ...

Residence A residence is a place (normally a building) used as a home or dwelling, where people reside. Residence may more specifically refer to: * Domicile (law), a legal term for residence * Habitual residence, a civil law term dealing with the status ...

, New York *

Charles B. Atwood Charles Bowler Atwood (1849–1895) was an architect who designed several buildings and a large number of secondary structures for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He also designed a number of notable buildings in the city of Ch ...

- Dr. Stewart Webb and H. McKinley Twombly residences, New York (originally for

William Henry Vanderbilt William Henry Vanderbilt (May 8, 1821 – December 8, 1885) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the eldest son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, an heir to his fortune and a prominent member of the Vanderbilt family. Vanderbi ...

) * C. Pfeifer - The Berkshires, New York * E. H. Kendall - Odgen Goelet residence, New York * R.H.Robertson *

Peabody and Stearns Peabody & Stearns was a premier architectural firm in the Eastern United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the firm consisted of Robert Swain Peabody (1845–1917) and John Goddard Stearns J ...

Viollet le Duc Viollet is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Dennis Viollet (1933–1999), English footballer and manager * Jean-Claude Viollet (born 1951), French politician * Paul Viollet (1840–1914), French historian *Rachel Viollet Rach ...

William Le Baron Jenney William Le Baron Jenney (September 25, 1832 – June 14, 1907) was an American architect and engineer who is known for building the first skyscraper in 1884. In 1998, Jenney was ranked number 89 in the book ''1,000 Years, 1,000 People: Ran ...

* Guerinot Important owners of the buildings he took photos are

, Oliver Ames, John Harjés. His most important contribution to history consists on the "Albert Levy's Architectural photographic series" that are a collection of at least 36 albums with 30-40 albumen prints of the architecture of the United States and Europe in the 1870s. In these series there are photos of Washington, Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Albany, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit, Milwaukee, Zurich, Berna, Berlin and cities of France among others. He used to create the series depending on the type of buildings been photographed. Some of the series are: * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: First Series, Private City Dwellings. * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Second Series, Country Dwellings. * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Third series, French Gothic and Renaissance, Civil and Domestic Architecture, New York * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Fifth Series, Messrs. Vanderbilt's Mansions * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Ninth Series, Street Fronts. * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Tenth Series, Sea Shore Cottages and Country Houses * Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series: Twelfth Series, Modern Street Architecture of Berlin, Street Fronts and Apartment Houses. * Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series: Fourteenth Series: Romanesque and Gothic Churches in the South of France * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Sixteenth Series, American Private City Dwellings * Albert Levy's Architectural Photographic Series: Twenty-fourth series, Berne, Lucerne, Zurich and other Swiss cities and towns * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Thirty-First Series, Street Fronts, Stores, Office Buildings, Etc. * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Thirty-Third series, American City and Country Residences, etc., New York. * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Thirty-Fifth Series, Sea Shore Cottages And Country Houses, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, Maine * Albert Levy's Photographic Series of Modern American Architecture: Thirty-Sixth Series, Sea-Shore Cottages, Etc., Newport, R.I., And Long Branch, N.J A selection of this unique archive of Europe's and American Architecture in the 19th century was lately edited by Andre, Daly fils et Cie. (French editors specialized in Architecture) to collect the best of the Albert Levy's architectural series in the album "L'Architecture Americaine" and show it in Europe. This collection consists of 3 series of albums: * 1st Series: Public Buildings * 2nd Series: Private Urban Residences * 3rd Series: Suburban Homes Each serie has 36 photos. All of them are described in the book "American Victorian Architecture". He participated in the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 in PhiladelphiaThe Philadelphia Photographer
August 1876 vol XIII nº152, pag. 228.

Artwork holders

The main holders of his photos are: * Architektur Sammlung of the Technische Hochschule in Munich *

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

* Bibliothèque nationale de France(BnF) *

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Commonweal ...

* Centre Canadien d'Architecture *

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

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 ...

* Library of Congress of the United States *

Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

* Ministère de Culture France * Santa Barbara Museum of Art *

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...

Samples

Some examples of his work can be found at th
HALIC
(Historical Architecture and Landscape Image Collection) of the

. Search for "Albert Levy".

References

External links

Photos by Albert Levy at the HALIC archive of the Art Institute of Chicago

Scans of Albert Levy's catalogue at the Biliotheque Nacionale de France (BnF)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Albert 1847 births 1931 deaths Pioneers of photography French photographers Photographers from New York (state) Architectural photographers