Lichtbilder (Photographe de Paris) by Eugene Atget, First Edition

Lichtbilder (Photographe de Paris) by Eugene Atget

Limited First Edition, 1930, Number 885 of 1000

Exceptional Condition

This is a rare limited first edition of Atget’s iconic photobook “Lichtbilder” published by Verlag Henri Jonquières, Paris and Leipzig, in 1930 and published simultaneously with the French edition, Photographe de Paris. Berenice Abbott purchased the contents of Atget’s studio in Paris--1,300 glass negatives and 7,000 prints assembled in albums--following his death in 1927. She brought the collection to New York with the backing of Julian Levy. Together, they introduced Atget’s work to the American public in a series of exhibitions and publications. The German edition of this monograph was published simultaneously in English and French editions on the occasion of the first one-man exhibition organized by Levy and Abbott at the Weyhe Gallery in New York. The book features a frontispiece portrait of Atget by Berenice Abbott and 96 stunning full-page collotypes from the original Atget negatives. Pierre Mac Orlan contributed an essay to the book and his essay concludes, “For many among us Atget’s Paris is now no more than a memory whose delicacy is already mysterious. It is worth all the books written on the subject, and without doubt will inspire others” In his book, “The Book of 101 Books: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century”, Andrew Roth states, “Over time, Atget’s photographs have come to be seen by many as the beginning of modern photography.”

Measuring approximately 11” x 9.5”, the book is bound in the original cream colored cloth boards issued without a dust jacket. A total of 1000 copies were issued with this being number 885. The condition of the book is Near Fine+ with some soiling to the covers and spine with minimal wear to the cover edges. The internals are excellent with the previous owner’s discreet neat signature and stamp. Overall, this is an exceptional copy of one of the greatest photobooks ever published.

Cited in “The Book of 101 Books: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century”

Photographs of the front and back of the books cover, the limitation page, and photographs contained in the book appear below. Please note that although the photographs appear digitized as thumbnails, they are viewable in the photo viewer by running your mouse over the thumbnail. You can also click on the thumbnail to open a separate window where the picture is viewable in a slideshow.