Taken between between 1890 and 1900, these photochrom images of Honfleur are at once familiar yet remote.
We recognise buildings but can only envy the photographer who saw a steam ship dock by the Chenin Blanc hotel, or took a horse drawn carriage ride past la Lieutenance.
Photochrom, a method of adding colour to black and white images, was invented in the 1880’s by Hans Jakob Schmid. Inexpensive and innovative, publishers were quick to produce photochrom postcards and collecting them was fashionable until WW1.
Thanks to the photochrom craze there is a wonderful legacy of historic images from across the world, recording the end of the 19th century.
Here is old Honfleur in photochrom, from around 1890.
Mont Joli, Honfleur, France. Photochrom.
The port, Honfleur, France
The outer port and hotel Chenin Blanc, Honfleur, France
New to Honfleur? Let us tell you about a special place we discovered quite by accident on probably our third visit. Drive or walk up Rue Charrière de Grâce, admire the Seine estuary from the Calvary. You may not realise that you have left Honfleur and are now in Équemauville. Next pop into Notre-Dame de…
This week our guest blogger is Donald G. Mitchell who adds a personal view of Rouen to some rather lovely etchings and drawings by Charles Pinet. Donald was an American traveler, essayist and novelist who usually wrote under the pen name Lk Marvel. Donald's wonderful descriptive article about Rouen in the 19th century first appeared…
On a hot day spring day towards the end of a brocante market we found treasures tucked inside an old portfolio. Watching over them was a hawk eyed vendor, who we could tell knew he had something rather special. With colours so fresh it was as though they were seeing sunlight for the first time,…
