Bidspirit auction | SILVA (Possidónio da). REVISTA pittoresca

SILVA (Possidónio da). REVISTA pittoresca e descriptiva de Portugal com vistas photographicas. Lisboa. 1862 - SILVA (Possidónio da) REVISTA pittoresca e descriptiva de Portugal com vistas photographicas . Lisboa: Ernesto Augusto da Silva, 1862. 1 álbum ([26]) f. : 24 fot., provas salinas, p&b ; 470x610 mm., fot.200x260 mm. A rare album marking a foundational moment in Portuguese photography, bringing together 24 prints on salted paper, mounted on large-format sheets, with explanatory printed text, dedicated to monuments and urban views of various Portuguese cities. Published in 1862, the Revista pittoresca e descriptiva de Portugal com vistas photographicas (Picturesque and Descriptive Review of Portugal with Photographed Views ) is one of the first Portuguese publications to use original photographic copies pasted onto the pages, and one of the first to dedicate a systematic space to architectural photography, integrating it into a discourse of exaltation of national heritage and the transforming urban landscape. The album is the brainchild of Joaquim Possidónio Narciso da Silva (1806–1896), architect of the Royal Household, archaeologist and photographer, a central figure in the defense and study of national monuments, founder and first president of the Royal Association of Portuguese Civil Architects and Archaeologists, and active in the National Monuments Commission. Through this series of photographic views – resulting from his travels and surveys throughout the country – Possidónio da Silva uses photography as an instrument for inventory, study and public awareness of heritage conservation, making the work an early testament to the connection between archaeology, architecture and photographic image in Portugal. ! Please note that this translated text was generated by Google. !