‎DAVID Jules (Photographe 1848 - 1923 ) - Pope LEO XIII - (= Vincenzo PECCI ) ( 1810 - 1903 ) :‎
‎Photography album of the Vatican with e.g. portraits of pope Leo XIII. ( Album dated 1879 )‎

‎12. Paris-Levallois, J. David photographe, 1879, in-folio album, oblong format, 31 x 40 cm, album with 10 thick leaves containing in all 20 original photographs mounted back to back in the passe-partout cut outs of the album leaves. The album , bound in original publisher's red half morocco, both covers in red buckram over board. Front cover with blindtooling rectangles and large lettering and decoration in gilt. '' Le Vatican - supra libro - 1879 ''. All edges gilt. Finely preserved original album notwithstanding some minor marginal foxing spots at some leaves. The gilt decoration and red covers and spine still shining bright. The binding is signed on the lower front cover '' J. David Phot. A Levallois-Paris''. The album opens with portrait of the seated pope, signed in the negative J. David Phot. -- déposé. (phot. slightly faded). As the following photographs there is a very neat hand written caption in the lower margin. The next two pictures are the most interesting of this album. They represent each time the pope seated on a trone surrounded by his staff. The first picture is called '' Cour intime''. (12 people surrounding the pope) The second '' Cour ponticale'' with ca. 40 people surrounding the pope. Both pictures with in the nagatice ''J. David Phot Depose''. These pictures are very good prints. The remaining pictures depict inside and outside views of the Vatican. Unfortunately these remaining pictures are all faded. Still a very interesting beautifully bound and well preserved album which contains these two stunning pictures of the court of the newly elected pope Leo XIII. He reigned from 1878 ( one year before these pictures were made) until 1903. He is remembered as a restorer of the papacy after the disastrous political reign of his predecessor pope Pius IX. He is also famous in the Roman Catholic Church for his 1891 encyclic Rerum Novarum.‎

Reference : 52594

‎‎