Photo sleuth - the story behind the photograph

'At The Shrine Of Venus'

Photo sleuth - the story behind the photograph

in this case 3 photographs framed but looking a little aged.

The photographs separated from the mount reveal the thick

brittle crusted layer of  adhesive.

Not pretty but the images have been protected.

The only clue to the origin of the images, a blind stamp,

on the bottom right corner and not easy to read.

A light focussed obliquely to the blind stamp was enough

to show detail when photographed and enlarged.

'PHOTOGRAPHISCHE - BERLIN - GESELLSHAFTE'.

A google search produced a link to a remarkable 268 page

catalogue of 'Berlin Photographic Company', published 

New York, 1905.

The larger of the images has detail 

'L.Alma-Tadema CCLXXXIX' 

The catalogue has an alphabetic list of artists.

'Alma-Tadema, Lawrence' is listed on page 1.

Two of the images are of paintings illustrated with detail.

The larger image is not illustrated.

Another google search revealed an illustrated listing

of 283 purported to be 'The Complete Works' of

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. The larger image is not

shown in this listing either.

Further searching located the image 'At The Shrine of Venus'.

and it is listed but not illustrated in the catalogue of the

Berlin Photographic Company.

Here then is the story illustrated with images and links.
©billpurvis - 2019

The 3 photographs demounted from the frame.

Blind stamp detail

The Complete Works of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

                      At The Shrine Of Venus - located at The MET Museum

The works titled with the relevant reference listing in the catalogue of the 'Berlin Photographic Company'.