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 () is a historiographical term used to describe the group of divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of the Levant, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Ara ...

(in today's

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

), the

Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ') 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 brought an end to the short- ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and Constantinople (now

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

), 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,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

, 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. 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 (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. 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 () is a Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. Until 1926, i ...

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

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

, organised by France following the massacre of Christians in the civil conflict between Christians and

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

in Mount Lebanon and Damascus. On his return to France, it is thought that Bonfils was taught the heliogravure printing process by Abel Niépce de Saint-Victor 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 ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

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. History Since the early years of th ...

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 ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

(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 process, photographic printing process invented by Alphonse Poitevin in 1855 to print images in a wide variety of Tone (color), tones without the need for Halftone, halftone screens. The majority of coll ...

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 of hand-colouring of photographs, hand-colouring photographs from a single black-and-white photographic negative, negative with subsequent photographic transfer onto Lithography, ...

, 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

After settling in the Near East, Félix Bonfils took some panoramic photographs 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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, she was active in

and neighbouring areas of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. Lydie and her husband, Félix Bonfils, 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. 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 ( or ), also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable Pathogenic bacteria, bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common c ...

, 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 ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

and

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, 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 aro ...

for prints. 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. 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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 Ancient Greek, Greek , ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian History of Egypt, history, Egyptian language, language, Ancient Egypt ...

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. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

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 researcher ...

and the Jafet Memorial Library of the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

. 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 of hand-colouring of photographs, hand-colouring photographs from a single black-and-white photographic negative, negative with subsequent photographic transfer onto Lithography, ...

, 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 (; ; ) 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 1998, the city had a population of 82,608. Most of the population consists of S ...

panorama, 1870 File:MMoCA195MA.jpg, '' Temple of Jupiter, Baalbek, Syria'', Mougins Museum of Classical Art 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 in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

* 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. FAMSF's combined attendance was 1,1 ...

* Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma * Harvard University Fine Arts Library * J. Paul Getty Museum *

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 List of largest art museums, largest ar ...

s *

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art gallery, art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of A ...

Sursock Museum The Sursock Museum (), officially known as the Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum, is a modern and contemporary art museum in Beirut, Lebanon. History In 1912, the Lebanese aristocrat Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock built the private villa that now house ...

, 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 (UMMA) is one of the largest university art museums in the United States, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with . Built as a war memorial in 1909 for the university's fallen alumni from the Civil War, Alu ...

* University of Tennessee, Knoxville *

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (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 supp ...

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 libra ...

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

French National Library French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

(BnF) site (in English)