View of the Acropolis

c. 1880s

View of the Acropolis, c. 1880s. Adolphe Braun & Co. (French, 1845–1894). Mammoth carbon print, brown-toned; image: 37.6 x 48.2 cm (14 13/16 x 19 in.); paper: 38.4 x 49.5 cm (15 1/8 x 19 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg 2021.58 Adolphe marketed his photos of flowers, artworks, landscapes, and monuments from across Europe throughout that continent and in North America. The Acropolis of Athens, the most famous ancient Greek site, must have sold well; Braun offered multiple views of it. The image on a carbon print is formed from pigmented gelatin, which is far more resistant to fading than the silver or metal salts in silver-based prints. Carbon prints are among the stable and long-lasting photographic processes.