Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

2026 European Photography Auction

Wed, Oct 28, 2026 01:00PM EDT
  2026-10-28 13:00:00 2026-10-28 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : 2026 European Photography Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/2026-european-photography-auction-24401
Our October auction focuses on historic European photography, we are offering a curated collection of fine and erotic daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, CDV, cabinet cards, stereoviews, and a range of curious and uncommon nineteenth-century European vernacular material. At the center of the sale is a collection of images from the Paris Commune of 1871 and the surrounding “année terrible,” the year of war, siege, insurrection, and reprisal that reshaped France. The focus is on the people who drove those events and lived through their aftermath, and on the city that bore the damage.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 173

Albumen Print, Château de la Reine Blanche, Paris, Eugène Atget

Estimate: $500 - $700
Starting Bid
$10

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
The Château de la Reine Blanche at 17 rue des Gobelins in the 13th arrondissement of Paris occupies a structure built between 1500 and 1635 at the initiative of the Gobelin family, prominent dyers who gave the surrounding neighborhood its name. This albumen print, made from a large-format glass negative, is attributed to Eugène Atget and dated to approximately 1898, placing it among the earliest work of his celebrated Old Paris campaign. Atget printed his negatives on albumen-silver paper and sold his prints to make a living.

The view opens into the industrial courtyard, where a cobblestone drive curves past a raised oval planting bed in the foreground. Beyond it stand the asymmetrical brick workshop buildings of the complex, with the historic main residence rising behind them, its steep pointed gable, conical tourelle, and prominent clock face visible against a pale, overcast sky. A tall industrial chimney rises to the right of the medieval structure, juxtaposing the site's layered industrial history with its Renaissance stonework.

Sold in 1572 and subsequently used as a cloth dyeing plant, the château was later a brewery, a tilery, and a tannery. By 1898, Atget was specializing in photographs of Old Paris to satisfy popular interest in preserving the historic art and architecture of the capital, and this image stands as a document of the site before its 20th-century transformations. The building was classified as a historic monument in 1980 and fully restored in 2002.

No photographer's imprint or mount text is visible on the image as presented. No dimensions were provided.

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We ship for free on combined lot values of $500 or higher in the United States. We will be traveling to Paris November 8-14th and can deliver any of our items at Paris Photo or the show on Saturday.