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 377

Stereoview, Palais Garnier Grand Staircase Torchère, Paris

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
The bronze torchère at the foot of the Grand Staircase, sculpted by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, dominates the foreground of this interior stereoview, captured by Collection L.L. of Paris, almost certainly shortly after the Palais Garnier's completion in 1875, following fifteen years of construction. The albumen stereocard carries the publisher's imprint "Collection L.L. / Paris" printed vertically in a decorative script on both lateral borders of the cream card mount.

The torchère figure rises dramatically in three-quarter view, her drapery in motion and her arms extended upward to support a branching candelabra hung with pendant glass drops. Behind her, the sweeping flights of the Grand Staircase ascend in white marble, its balustrade rendered in green and red marble, with richly carved newel posts and arched gallery openings receding into the background. At lower center, a pair of ornate marble column bases with gilded capitals and hanging bronze lanterns anchor the composition.

The Grand Staircase stands as the true centerpiece of the Palais Garnier, a theatrical experience in its own right rather than merely a functional element, and the stereoview format was an ideal vehicle for conveying the spatial drama of the building's Neo-Baroque and Second Empire Beaux-Arts opulence, defined by heavy ornamentation, sculpture, and lavish embellishment.

The reverse bears pencil notations reading "ZOBEZ" and "6/17/07," written in mirror image as seen from the recto side; no series number or title label 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.