(New Mexico) | An extensive collection of photographs taken by a French military officer

(New Mexico)

An extensive collection of photographs of New Mexico, taken by a French military officer, circa 1908-1918

490 silver gelatin photographs (about 45 x 68 mm to 215 x 150 mm), most neatly captioned along the margin(s) in ink; scattered silver mirroring and handling wear, as expected. Housed in 3 black pebble cloth "Badger Albums"; albums worn but holding. Accompanied by a few pieces of printed ephemera. 

A photographic record of a French military officer's travels through New Mexico and the United States.

The majority of the images depict New Mexico and its environs, including the Mimbres River, the road between San Jose and San Juan, Silver City, Hurley, Santa Rita, Fort Bayard, El Paso, Tyrone, the Rio Grande, the El Paso Franklin Mountains, Cottonwood Springs, Rularosa Oasis, Lordsburg, Fort Bliss, Cookes Peak, Fort Cummings, the Continental Divide, City of Rocks State Park, La Mesa, Deming, and Logan. It further includes photographs of Colorado, Iowa, Oklahoma, Missouri, Chicago, and Canada.

The subject matter varies greatly throughout, with significant emphasis on the documentary, environmental, and vernacular. There are photographs of indigenous Mexicans, French soldiers and their families, parades of American soldiers, and of the famous General Cody better known as "Buffalo Bill". The photographer exhibited an interest in the environment of New Mexico as well, and there are a numerous landscapes, and photographs documenting flora and fauna, such as horn toads and yucca plants. 

A compelling collection of images of the American west.