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 402

CDV, Droshky and Passengers Before a Palatial Courtyard

Estimate: $100 - $200
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
A horse-drawn droshky carrying several passengers navigates the cobblestone forecourt of a large neoclassical building, captured in an albumen CDV of the late nineteenth century. The image is taken from a low angle in natural light, lending a candid quality unusual for the period, and no photographer's imprint is visible on the mount. The open carriage is pulled by a team of two horses and driven by a coachman in a dark greatcoat and peaked cap, with at least two additional figures seated in the carriage body beneath draped coverings.

The building behind spans nearly the full width of the frame, presenting a multi-story facade with arched ground-floor windows, a rusticated central entrance surround, and a roofline punctuated by a decorative finial or lantern above the entrance bay. A second horse-drawn vehicle is visible in the left background, suggesting the setting is an active courtyard serving a substantial institution or aristocratic residence. The droshky itself shows spoked wooden wheels with brass hub fittings and a low-slung four-wheeled chassis consistent with the type's well-documented use across the Russian Empire.

The droshky was a four-wheeled open carriage used especially in Russia, and during the nineteenth century the type underwent refinements that transitioned it from a basic light carriage to a more practical vehicle suited to urban and institutional environments. The grand courtyard setting and the livried coachman suggest a government, military, or elite household context.

The reverse is inscribed in pencil: "drosky with / Tofa." No photographer's imprint is present on the mount.

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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.