Oblong Folio (ca. 27 x 26 cm or 10 ½ x 14 in). 7 card stock leaves. 14 albumen photographs from ca. 23 x 18.5 cm (9 x 7 ¼ in) to 16.5 x 11.5 cm (6 ½ x 4 ½ in). Two photos captioned and numbered in negative. All photos with period ink captions on mounts. Period-style navy half morocco with cloth boards and gilt-tooled decorative borders; all edges gilt. Mounts slightly waved and age-toned, a few photos mildly faded, but overall a very good album of interesting strong photos.

An interesting collection of large albumen photographs of Chile showing cities including Valparaíso and Santiago and regions including the Magellan Strait and the Andes during the 1890s. At least one view is attributed to Félix Leblanc, a photographer active in Valparaíso and Santiago (see more).

The album opens with a photograph of the Duchaffault, a French naval cruiser built in 1872. (During the years 1891-1893, it visited Uruguay, Chile, Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia, New Zealand, and California.) Very interesting is a view of Punta Arenas, now the most populous southernmost city in Chile, when it was used as a coaling station along the Magellan Strait. There are also views of Valparaíso, featuring Plaza Sotomayor and Parque Municipal (now Parque Italia), and Santiago, showing Plaza de Armas facing Portal Fernández Concha, Quinta Normal Park and the Chilean National Museum of Natural History, and the Bernardo O’Higgins statue on La Alameda. The album closes with photos from the Andes, including views of Mt. Aconcagua, Laguna Verde, Uspallata Pass, and Puente del Inca, as well as a portrait of a Chilean horseman.

Overall, an interesting collection of large, well-preserved photographs depicting Chile at the end of the 19th century.

“Félix Leblanc was a French photographer, engraver, and lithographer who was active in Chile during the second half of the 19th century until the early 20thcentury, mainly in the cities of Valparaíso and Santiago.” (Biblioteca Nacional de Chile [National Library of Chile]).

List of captions (spelling original): Le Duchaffault (15 Juin 1891 – 11 Juillet 1893); Canaux Lateraux – Goulet anglais – 17 Septbre 91; Punta Arenas (Détriot de Magellan) 6 Septembre 1891; Valparaiso (26 Septbre 91 – 5 Mars 92); Valparaiso; Valparaiso – Jardin public; Santiago (12 – 15 Décembre 91); Santiago – La Quinta Normal; Santiago – L’Alameda et la Statue de O’Higgins; L’Aconcagua; La Laguna verde – Cordillère des Andes, versant Chilien; La Cumbre d’Upsallata [sic] (3.800 m.) 12 Février 1892; El Puente del Inca (Versant argentina des Andes – 3000 m.); Huaso chilien.